Just Friends
by LAchicknikki
Summary: What happens when you start to love your best friend in a different way? Showing the progression of a friendship, this story will follow Troy and Gabriella through their childhood, teens and adult-hood through a series of chapters at various ages.
1. Ten: Valentines

The idea of this story is taken from a documentary called '7 Up', where they interview boys at ages seven, fourteen, twenty-one ect.

This story will show Troy and Gabriella at various ages, where there relationship changes and develops.

Hope you all enjoy! Review and tell me what you think :D

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His hair blew about his face as the wind whistled around him. He had lost count of the amount of times he had made this journey; everyday-once his mom had checked over his homework and his dad had run basketball plays with him-he would grab his bike and cycle over to Gabriella's house- where, without fail she would be sitting in her tree-house reading, awaiting the arrival of her best friend.

Troy dropped his bike at the foot of the large tree and, began to climb the rope, calling Gabriella's name, ''Gabi!'', the young boy called. He frowned when he got no response, ''Hey Gabi!''. As he peered into the tree-house he saw his friend with her legs crossed facing towards the back wall; this sight accompanied by her slight sniffles. He was now standing above his friend, confused, 'What's wrong? Are you crying?'

Her hands quickly flew to her face; attempting to wipe away the tears. ''No.''

''Yeah you are.'' He sat beside her, placing an arm around her shoulder, 'C'mon Gabs, what's wrong? You know you can tell me.'

She took a few shaky breaths before speaking, ''I...I gave Max a Valentine, but he said that he didn't want it...'cause...'cause he likes Sarah.''

''Max!? Simpson!?'' she nodded, ''Why do you even like that guy? He's a total idiot Gabs, you shouldn't let him upset you.''

''But he said that she was prettier than me.'' She replied, she had stopped crying but her cheeks still housed a few stray tears.

''Well...it's not true!'' he said adamantly, hating the idea of anyone hurting Gabriella. 'You're much prettier than her-than all the girls....and you're like...the smartest kid in the whole of 5th grade!'' he chuckled slightly, 'You really should know better than to let some stupid boy upset you.'' he added, nudging her playfully.

''But it's not just him...I didn't even get one valentine.''

He had always been popular with girls-his uncles often telling him he would be a heartbreaker-so he had never thought what it would be like to be ignored on valentines day, watching your friends getting cards while you sat empty-handed. He meant what he had told Gabriella; with her curly brown hair and her big beautiful eyes (which he had noticed had golden brown flecks around the pupils) she was by far-at least in his eyes- the prettiest girl in their school and at that moment, as he looked at her tear-stained face, he smiled to himself, reaching into his jeans pocket.

''That's not true Gabi, you do have one.'' He handed a small card to her and she smiled as she saw it was decorated with various sized hearts. ''Will you be my Valentine?''

''Really?'' She smiled slightly and her eyes began to twinkle as he nodded, ''Ok. Yes.''

He handed the to card to her and beamed as she accepted it, glad to see the bright smile back on her face. As she opened the card to further inspect the drawings he leaned towards her and, summoning his courage, pressed a warm kiss to her cheek. She giggled as she felt his lips, her cheek tingling from the unfamiliar sensation. Troy smiled at her, the blush on his cheeks prominent.

''So...umm...I've got candy,'' Troy said, his eyes wondering, still not able to meet Gabriella's gaze.

''Gummy Worms?'' She inquired.

''Maybe...'' Troy teased, ''But first, you have to....'' he paused, ''you have to say 'Troy Bolton is the best friend in the entire world and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to know him'.''

''Troy!''

''If you want the Gummy Worms it's what you have to do Montez.''

''Fine,'' she pouted, ''but I'm only saying it because it's true: Troy Bolton is the best friend in the entire world and I'm the luckiest girl in the world to know him.''

''Why, I'm honoured.' 'He joked placing a hand over his heart as Gabriella slapped is arm playfully. ''Ok...Gummy Worm time!''

******

''I'll see you in the mornin' Gabs.'' The two friends locked eyes, as Troy stood at the front gate, ready to leave.

''Uh-huh. My Mom's taking us tomorrow so we'll come get you.''

''Tomorrow's Friday.''

She clapped sarcastically, ''Well done Troy! Next you'll be counting to 100!''

''Oh shut up! I mean tomorrow's Friday, so mom's making brownies right?''

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she answered, telling him that she was certain he only came over to get her mom's brownies.

'''You know that's not true! We'd be best friends even if your mom couldn't bake you know that.''

He was greeted with a nod in response, ''Forever?'' her head tilted as she questioned him, her expression suddenly serious.

''Forever.'' He replied with a definite nod. ''Anyway I better go, my Mom will be out any second seeing where I am.''

'''Kay. Night.''

''Night.'' Troy turned from the gate and began the short ride to his house, and as he neared his door Gabriella turned into her house, pausing when she heard her name being called. ''Hey Gabriella!'', Troy yelled, waving his arms to catch her attention.

''Yeah!?''

''Happy Valentines Day!'' He couldn't see her clearly, but even in the darkness he could make out her bright smile and the gleam in her eyes as she ran through her door, her brown curls bouncing behind her.

Gabriella Montez was his Valentine.

******

''Hoops!''

''Hey Chad!'' Troy greeted his friend brightly as he ran towards him, his messy curls falling over his eyes.

''So dude, who did you give your Valentine to?'' Chad asked as the young boys walked through the playground of East High Elementary.

''Gabi.''

''Whoa hold up,'' Chad had stopped in his tracks and was staring, wide-eyed, at Troy, ''As in Gabriella? You never said you liked her!''

''I don't. I just gave it to her...in a...friendly way.''

''So who else did you give one to?'' Chad asked, not believing his answer.

''No one-just Gabriella.''

''You _so_ like her!'' he yelled with conviction.

Troy's eyes widened, ''Will you quit shouting that!''

''I'm sorry,'' he now spoke in a hushed tone, ''but you don't give someone you don't like your only Valentine. You like her-you should totally ask her out.''

''I don't like her okay!'' his frustration was evident by this point, ''I mean 'course I like her but not like that! And I'm not gonna ask her out-she's Gabi - my best friend; I can't ask her out.''

''If she wasn't your best friend would you ask her out?''

''Well...' Troy shook his head, clearing any thoughts of Gabriella as anything more than a friend, 'No! Cuz I don't like her!''

Chad shrugged, '''Course you don't...''

******

''Hey Tay!'' Gabriella waved her friend over. Her and Taylor had bonded the first day of Elementary school; both being smarter than the average 10 year old they had connected on their love of poetry.

Taylor smiled brightly as she walked over to Gabriella, her books clutched close to her chest. ''Hey! Guess what, Cody gave me a Valentine card just after you left yesterday,'' she said excitedly, ''Did you get any?''

''Uh-huh.'' Gabriella said as they turned toward the library.

''Really? From who?''

''Troy.'' She replied casually.

Taylor's jaw dropped at the response, ''Troy!? That's a big deal. Why aren't you acting like it's a big deal? Isn't it a big deal? That totally means he likes you.''

As the two browsed the book-shelves Gabriella shook her head, ''It wasn't like that-it doesn't mean he likes me.''

''My older sister says that a guy only gives you a Valentine if he likes you.'' Taylor said matter of factly.

Gabriella's small nose scrunched as she received the information, ''Really?''

Taylor nodded, looking around her before continuing the conversation, ''And...I heard that Troy didn't give anyone a Valentine so that means you're the only girl who has one from him,'' she smiled.

Gabriella was silent as she flicked through a book. _Could Troy really like me? No. We're friends-best friends; he couldn't. Could he?_

''Maybe he'll ask you out-he definitely likes you. Would you say 'yes'? Do you like him?' '

Suddenly, her head snapped up as she heard Taylor's question, ''Like Troy? No!'' _At least...I don't think I do..._


	2. Ten: Breakthrough

Thanks for the reviews for the first chapter! It's always nice to know you're off to a good start :D

Well, here's the second - I hope you enjoy... A lot of work went into this; editing, proofing, editing, more proofing...So REALLY...I hope you enjoy this lol

REVIEW!

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It had all been so quick. Two weeks ago, she had been celebrating her anniversary with the man of her dreams. And now? ...It was over.

At night, when she tried to sleep, she would hear the forceful knock of the police echoing deep in her mind. She remembered the shrill scream elicited by her young daughter as she over heard the news and, the thing that effected her the most, were the nightmares that dominated her sleep; each time her heavy eyelids would close, she would see the car flipping into the distance, as her husband lay there alone, screaming in agony, his final moments pending. The mornings were no better. Each morning, for a split second, she would believe everything was okay. She would rotate in bed to greet her husband, and it was then she would be faced with the memory of what had occurred. Each morning she would feel the suffer the torture of her heart shattering again.

Since the sombre funeral of Alejandro, Maria had been left with endless tasks - though those around her attempted to alleviate her of all troubles, her 'To Do' list never seemed to be empty. As she sorted out food dishes (preparing to return them to their rightful owners), she heard the piercing 'ding' of the front door. She trod slowly; having to summon all her energy for the simplest of tasks.

As the door flew open, she found herself enveloped in the arms of her best friend Lucille. Everyday since they had heard the news, Lucille, her husband Jack and their young son Troy had been over to offer their support. Lucille, Jack, Maria and, Alejandro had all been friends since freshman year of college; Maria, Lucille and Jack had formed a strong friendship since high school, Alejandro being the latest edition the group. The four of them had shared so much together; they had been key players in each others wedding, and had been present at the births of each others' children. When Lucille and Jack had gotten the phone call from Maria, they had taken it equally as hard - reminiscing over all the times they had spent together.

"Oh sweetie, how are you?" Lucille asked, sympathy lacing her words as she noticed the fragile state Maria appeared to be in, due to her sudden weight loss.

Maria replied with nothing but a feeble shrug as she ushered them towards the kitchen. "You didn't need to bring anymore food, Lucy. Look." She indicated to the counter-tops which could no longer been seen, for they were completely covered with glass dishes.

"Well then you can freeze it. I don't want you to be under any stress, so I'm going to keep bringing you and Gabriella food until all this starts to settle down."_ Which won't be for now_. She added silently.

Troy sat in patiently silence for a while, as his mother and father considerately assisted Maria in her bid to restore order to the kitchen. "Uhhh... Aunt Maria?" He asked cautiously , his tone quieter than usual, "Can I go see Gabriella?"

Silence fell. Since the funeral, Gabriella hadn't uttered a single word; it was as if it had finally hit her - had only just become real that her dad wasn't coming home.

"Maybe you should...-" Jack began tactfully, but was cut off by Maria.

"Why don't you take these cookies up to her." Her body swivelled gradually as she carefully handed Troy a long, silver platter holding a batch of sumptuous cookies. "Mrs. Martin bought them round... they're still fresh."

"Uhh...ok." Troy smiled slightly as he headed towards the stairs, cookies in hand.

Making sure Troy was out of earshot, Lucille looked worriedly at her friend, "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

Her hands rested on the sink as she sighed. Turning to answer her friend, "My husband's dead and my daughter won't speak to me. I've tried everything - _everything - ,_but I don't know how to make this right - I don't know how to say the right things. I just want to know what's she's feeling, and if Troy -if _anyone_- can get her to talk them I'm happy. I need her to talk; I can't lose them both." Her tears fell so frequently since the death, she no longer tried to stop them. Instead, she would allow them to stream silently while her heart ached, waiting patiently for the day when the endless flow of tears would stop - or at least...slow down.

Meanwhile, as Lucille held her friend as her tears fell, Troy stood at the door of Gabriella's room, knocking hesitantly. There was no answer, so, stretching his small arm forward, he turned the knob. As his head peered around the door he saw Gabriella curled delicately on her bed - a large, baby pink comforter encasing her small frame.

"Hey Gabi." He spoke tentatively, he watched her as she ignored him, timidly clutching her bear closer to her chest. His steps toward her bed were slow and deliberate - almost as if he were afraid that, at any moment, she would flip out on him. "You want a cookie? Mrs. Martin baked 'em. You know...Mrs. Martin from down the street. They're still warm and everything." He took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of them as the aroma wafted up, tickling his senses, "I think she did quite a few different one's; I smell banana and peanut butter and there are some choc chip ones here too." His attempt to make the cookies sound appealing fell on deaf ears.

He perched himself hesitantly on her bed, just in front of her. "I really think you should have one. Remember how we used to say 'Everything gets better once you have a cookie'? Well, maybe...-''

"Maybe what!?" She snapped at him, sitting upright, her back against her flowery headboard. As much as he wished she wasn't yelling at him, he inwardly beamed at hearing her voice again.

"I'm sorry - I shouldn't have...I didn't mean that-"

"It can't make this better Troy!" Her voice was cold as she scolded him. "Don't you get that!? He's gone! My dad's gone and he's not coming back! And some stupid cookies are not gonna make that better! He's never coming home. He's never gonna put me on his knee and tell me a story again. Nothi-" She was unable to finish, as her body was wracked with tears. She had never been in so much pain - it wasn't like falling off her bike, cutting her finger or stubbing her toe; it was an indescribable, unrecognisable, unbearable pain. She wanted to yell in fury; tell him she hated him for leaving, and that she hoped he would never come back, but that urge was overrun by her need to see him again, to hug him, and tell him he shouldn't of played such a cruel joke. Except...she was too young to pinpoint her emotions, but she was too old to _not_ get the concept of death - she knew it wasn't a joke. This was it. This was her life now. Her life without her dad. Without Alejandro Emilio Montez.

Troy reached over to the bedside cabinet, benevolently handing her a few tissues to wipe her tear-stained cheek. "I know. And I'm _so_ sorry Gabriella. Maybe...we should think about all good things we did with your dad."

Her fist clenched around the tissues in her hand as her tears continued, "But it hurts Troy. It hurts _so_ bad- it's like...I feel sick but there's no medicine this time."

He plucked more tissues out of the box and bought a hand to her face, gently wiping her left cheek - cleaning away the tears - before moving over to the right. "I know it does Gabi, but you have to try for me. When my Grandpa died, mom and dad did the same thing with me; and I know how hard it is - I do - but it'll get easier I promise. Just try it."

She squeezed her eyes shut, as if trying to block out the pain, before shaking her head, "I can't remember Troy - I can't." The tears started again, making their way swiftly down her cheeks. "I'm scared." She whispered, "What if that's it? It's only been a few weeks and I don't remember - maybe in a few years I won't remember the way he would play with his hair if he was bored, or his laugh...or maybe even the way he sounded!"

"Hey, hey, hey. You do remember. Don't you see?" He placed a hand on her arm, attempting to comfort her. "The way he played with his hair - that's a memory Gabs. You just have to try real hard - forget about everything but your dad." He saw her frustration mounting, so decided to step in and start her off, "Like... don't you remember that day he was meant to take us camping, but then there was a fire down at the campsite so we couldn't go? And we were all disappointed so he set up a tent in the back yard - we couldn't go in the house for the _entire _weekend unless we wanted to pee coz he said he wanted it to be real authentic. You _must_ remember Gabs."

She tried to calm her breathing and clear her mind, sifting through her internal memory archive, "And we both got really bad colds afterward?" She asked nervously, hoping she was able to remember.

"Yes! That was it. What happened when we got sick? Do you remember?"

She paused in thought, a small glimmer of hope igniting within her, "We had to stay up in my bed - our mom's kept bringing us soup and fever medicine, and your dad was freaking out coz you had floor seats to the Redhawks game and he didn't want you to miss it."

His arms wrapped tightly around her, Gabriella quite taken aback by his sudden outburst of emotion, "I told you could remember Gabi! I knew you could do it!"

******

Maria, as she helped Lucille dish up the nights' dinner, was startled as she felt as pair of thin arms snake around her waist. Tears stung her eyes upon the realisation that the arms she felt around her belonged to her daughter. "Oh Gabi!" She flung her arms around the small girl, lifting her off the ground, pressing loving kisses into her hair. "I've missed you baby." Something inside of her clicked; she realised Gabriella was yet to speak. "Gabi?" Silence. She spared a glance in Troy's direction, who just shrugged apologetically. Brushing a stray curl away from Gabriella's eyes she stared at her intently, "I get that you might not be ready to talk to me yet, but promise me you won't keep it all inside; at least talk to Troy. Promise me Gabriella." She appeared to be pleading with her. Not a sound was made. Instead, Gabriella hugged her mom once again in agreement.

Dinner was relatively subdued; nobody knowing what to say in the light of recent events. As the Bolton's prepared to leave, Gabriella desperately clung to Troy's left arm, pulling him closer to her. Each parent watched in intrigue as Gabriella whispered into his ear. "Umm..." Troy began, somewhat uncertain, uncomfortable with the situation he had found himself in. After receiving a gently prod from Gabriella, he recommenced. "Gabriella asked if I could stay over."

Silence fell like a thick sheet of snow. Lucille and Jack were more than happy for Troy to stay the night but, knowing Maria may not be up to caring for two ten year olds, left the question for her to answer.

"Troy is always welcome to stay." Was Maria's answer.

Lucille crossed the room, crouching down before Troy. "I want you to do whatever Aunt Maria says, okay Troy?"

"Yes Ma."

"When she tells you to sleep-"

"_Yes_ Ma, I _know_." Cringing at the loving kisses he had been smothered in, Troy waved goodbye to his parents.

******

After numerous cups of soothing hot chocolate, Gabriella and Troy had been sent to bed. While speaking in whispers, wrapped in Gabriella's thick comforter, Troy asked, "Why did you stop speaking Gabi?" The question bought about a swift change in mood.

She shrugged, fiddling with the hem of her flowery yellow nightdress, the ease she had shown, just moments ago, disappearing.

"C'mon, you must know why." Troy continued to pry, desperate to know the reason for his friends' silence.

She looked up shyly through the wispy strands of brown hair, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his, that shone like sapphires. "It was easier." She confessed. "Everyone had been asking how I was and it wasn't making things easier, it was just getting worse; the last thing you want when you're upset is for someone to tell you that, 'It's okay' or 'Don't cry, he's in a better place', coz he's _not _in a better place." She said resolutely, her voice cracking at the statement. "He should be here with me and mom." Her eyes dropped for a moment, watching the moonlight seep over her bedding. "So I decided to stop answering. Simple as." A singular tear wet her soft cheek, her hand immediately flying up to catch it.

"It's okay to cry you know."

Her head flicked up in a small nod, "I know, but I don't wanna be like my mom." Seeing Troy's confusion, she continued, "At night, I hear her crying. She doesn't realise, but I do. She just cries - _all _night - and sometimes...I hear her asking why my dad had to leave - saying she doesn't understand. I don't want that to be me Troy; it hurts so much when I do cry, so I try not to."

"But sometimes, Gabs, you need cry - and it's okay when you do." To lighten the solemn tone, he added: "_I_ won't tell anyone." and threw a wink in her direction, drawing a small giggle from her.

******

Troy stirred, feeling a continuous prod in the sole of his foot, "What? What's happened?" He asked groggily, as his eyes adjusted to the darkness that had swallowed Gabriella's room.

"Troy? Are you awake?" Gabriella asked, her voice barely audible.

Wiping the sleep out of his azure eyes, Troy, raising his head a little, brushed his long hair back, enabling him to see Gabriella. Chuckling slightly, he answered, "I am now... 'Sup?"

"I can't sleep." Her voice, as it travelled through the shadows, was young, timid, almost afraid. "Can you come down here?"

Forcefully pushing the comforter from his body, Troy crawled to the opposite side of the bed where Gabriella lay. "Better?" He asked, as he recovered himself, shielding his body from the draught.

She nodded, and gave him a small smile before shifting her form to face away from him. "G'night Troy."

As sleep, once again, took control of his body, Troy sunk beside Gabriella, his arm laying gently over her. "Night Gabi." His whisper floating into the cool night air.

Their relationship had always been special - one their school friends struggled to understand - but Gabriella had never found the need to explain, or defend their bond to anyone. Troy was her best friend and she his, and as they lay together, side by side, with his arm draped protectively over her, she knew that things would get better. They may never be perfect or great, but they would be okay, because when she felt alone, as though nobody in the world understood her, there would be Troy - who would _always_ have his arm draped protectively over her.


	3. Thirteen: The First Time

**Firstly, the ratio of reviews to the people who have added me/my story to favourites is seriously off. I know you guys can do better than that; it only takes a minute. All I want is feedback - even constructive criticism is welcome - so please review. Also, if there is anything you'd like to see in this fic (or anything you want to ask) don't hesitate.**

**For this chapter, I'd really like to thank Jordyn, for her patience, and Kelly, for her amazing idea that got this chapter flowing. So: thanks a bunch guys :D**

**Anyway, I hope this chapter is enjoyed. My aim is to update each week, so stay tuned :).**

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The evening was bleak and bitter, as the rain beat down furiously on the large glass windows. Their parents having gone out for the night, Troy and Gabriella sat watching movies together on the oversized couch that dominated Troy's living room. The atmosphere suddenly grew thick and oppressive as Troy and Gabriella watched the two leads of the movie lock lips, and engage in a passionate kiss.

Troy, who was on the brink of his fourteenth birthday, was still learning to adjust to that weird thing called puberty; due to his raging, uncontrollable hormones, the situations Troy found himself in grew increasingly awkward. Sensing this was one of those times, he jumped up nervously. "Popcorn?" He asked, indicating to the popcorn bowl that lay, half empty, beside Gabriella.

Taking a brief moment to tear her eyes away from the screen, Gabriella looked up at her friend, nodding, "Err.. yeah, sure."

Grabbing the popcorn bowl in one swift movement, Troy disappeared, walking briskly down the hall, toward the kitchen.

Ten minutes later he returned, being immediately questioned by Gabriella. "Where were you? You were gone forever."

With a handful of popcorn, Troy responded sheepishly, "I wasn't gone _that_ long." He continued before Gabriella could dispute his comment, "I was kinda hot in here, so I thought I'd cool down."

Gabriella looked at him, suspicion in her ebony eyes, "You were..._hot_? How? I've got this _huge_ sweatshirt on," She tugged at the hem of her substantial Lakers sweatshirt - a gift given to her by her father many years prior, "and I can still feel the breeze, and you were hot?"

Growing irritated, Troy snapped at her, "Yes I was hot okay!?". Seeing her hurt expression, Troy felt guilt wash over him. It wasn't her fault, it was just that he'd become increasingly touchy over the last few months; all the _changes_ had put him on edge. "Sorry."

She didn't respond.

After an uncomfortable silence, Troy spoke again, "Gabs?..."

"What?" She asked, curtly.

"Say a guy's...not a great...kisser-" He paused nervously, running a hand through his shaggy, brown hair, "is it true that a girl will tell her friends?"

Gabriella giggled sweetly, unable to stay mad at Troy, "Planning on kissing someone Bolton?" she teased.

Troy blushed, his tan cheeks tainted with a rosy pink "No!" his answer, louder than he had expected, sent Gabriella into a fit of giggles. "No. I've just been thinking...that's all."

Gabriella's interest grew, her giggles subsided, and she began to listen.

"Girls have real high expectations of their first kiss right? ...That's what I've read anyway. But...if it's _your_ first kiss too, then how are you meant to know what to do? What if your bad just coz you haven't done it before, and she goes and tells everybody?"

She took a moment to consider the issue, her large brown eyes flitting, as she played it over in her mind, "I guess it'll just be...instinctive. Besides, not all girls are gonna go blab to their girlfriends." She smiled at him reassuringly, momentarily returning her focus to the on-going movie.

"Have you ever...?"

Her dark curls bounced as she shook her head in answer to his incomplete question.

"I've thought about it. ..I guess." Staring ahead, she made the statement to know one in particular, feeling slightly embarrassed at her candid confession, "But I've never...you know."

"Right." Neither of them had the guts to speak directly to each other while addressing this issue, instead their heads remained forward.

******

For the umpteenth time that autumn evening, Gabriella heard Troy tut. The movie had been Gabriella's choice and Troy was hating every second of it; each spoken line he saw as cheesy and every depicted romantic gesture was, in his words, nauseating and over the top.

"What now Troy?" Gabriella asked as she rolled her chestnut coloured eyes.

"It's just..._this_." His voice was thick with disgust as he gestured towards the moving pictures on the large flat-screen. "It's all so...bleh!"

"Come on... it's _romantic_." Gabriella countered, as the stars of the movie kissed fervently in the daunting storm; their clothes were soaked, their wet hair clinging furiously to their foreheads, but their kisses remained strong, undefeated by the elements.

Troy shook his head disbelievingly, "_Romantic? _Please. She's absolutely soaking wet, she's probably ruined those suede shoes she was gushing about only half an hour ago and she'll probably _die_ of hyperthermia. Tell me Gabs: how the heck is that romantic?"

Gabriella shook her head, feeling both annoyed and disappointed at Troy's constant attempts to ruin the romance of the movie. "You can be such a guy Troy; you don't get it." she said, her eyes no longer on him.

Usually Troy would come back with a smart-ass comment; telling her that he was, in fact, a guy or pretending he was surprised by the revelation that he was male. This time how ever, he kept his comments to himself, instead deciding to use this present situation as a form of education. "Well...make me get it." He stated simply.

"What?" Gabriella asked, seeking clarification on his previous statement.

"What would be your perfect kiss?" He gave her a moment to reply but no response came and he realised she needed a little encouragement. "You said that I don't get it and you're right - I don't, but I want to Gabi and you can help me; tell me about your perfect kiss, and maybe...maybe it won't seem as ridiculous to me."

Gabriella's eyes were uncertain as she looked at Troy. Troy was her best friend, but he was also a guy. In her world - the world of middle school - you didn't tell guys about your ideal kiss, no matter how close to them you were, that was strictly girls only territory. "You'll just laugh." She mumbled.

"I won't - I swear I won't. I really wanna know Gabi and you're the only girl I could ever ask."

All she needed to hear was the sincerity in Troy's voice for her to open up to him. Her body shifted to she was facing him fully; she crossed her thin legs in front of her and tucked her sweatshirt cosily around her knees, providing herself with warmth. "Well...kissing in the rain. I think that's perfect. I know it seems weird to guys but...if you're kissing someone in the rain then it's like..." She trailed off unconsciously, drifting into a daydream.

Since the summer months had come to a close, Gabriella had developed a reoccurring dream. She would be standing in a rain storm, the thunder cracking around her as the white lightening split the midnight sky, enveloped in the arms of a mystery man. Try as she might, she was never able to put a face to the man that she kissed so passionately. She could, however, feel his firm arms as they grip her almost painfully around the waist; never wanting them to part. She could recall so clearly his scent - the musky spice aroma that he called his own filled her nostrils each night, tormenting her painfully in the morning - and she could always, without fail, feel his silky strands of hair slip through her nimble fingers like golden grains of sand. And yet...the face of the man she felt she knew so well remained unseen. Her daydream slowly ending, Gabriella finished her sentence, "It's like nothing else in the world matters. Not the rain, the cold, nothing. It's just you." Her closing words were spoken in a whisper, as she became conscious of Troy once again. "I want it to be...slow ya know? Not rushed or anything. I want to feel all warm and..." She allowed her sentence to die, glancing at Troy.

"You can laugh now." She said.

"No. No, I'm not gonna laugh; it doesn't seem weird. It's kinda..." He refrained from using the word 'sweet'; the last thing he wanted was to sound soft and girly. "You know."

A small smile appeared on her delicate face as she turned away from him.

"I can't give you the rain but I can have a shot at the other stuff." He said softly.

"Huh?"

"Why don't we try? ...Wouldn't you rather your first kiss to be with someone you know and trust?" He asked. "I know I would." His cobalt orbs gleamed with undying enthusiasm as he spoke. "If it sucks, I know you aren't gonna go to school come Monday morning and tell everyone...and even if it doesn't...you don't have to tell anybody; it can be our secret." He paused. There had been very few times in his life where Gabriella had made him nervous and this was one of them. As he sat across from her, watching the fire in her mocha eyes burn, he suddenly felt... nervous. It wasn't Gabriella sitting opposite him; no, it was a girl. A girl he just offered to kiss. ...Oh man what had he done!? "Maybe we should forget it - it was a dumb idea, I'm sorry." He rambled.

"Our secret?" She whispered, chewing on her bottom lip.

Troy's head swivelled, looking her in the eyes. Was she saying 'yes'? He nodded. "Yep." His beat of his small heart trebled and he felt his hands grow clammy. _I can do this. I can do this._

"'Kay."

Their two bodies shifted awkwardly closer. "Ready?" Troy asked. He was greeted by a small nod in reply and made his move. He was unsure about the positioning of his hands so, after trying them out in various spots, picked her shoulders to rest his hands upon; certain they were in a safe place where nothing could be accidentally touched. His eyes were closed as he moved towards her, feeling her soft breath tickle his nose. Her eyes, as their noses brushed together, drifted close, and she knew she was ready. Her stomach flipped uncontrollably as Troy's lips pressed tentatively to hers; they were so soft and gentle. The first few kisses were shy but Troy gradually grew in confidence, and tenderly ran the tip of his tongue against her lips.

He felt her hands shove against his chest. "Gross!" She exclaimed.

"What?" he asked, uncertain of what he had done wrong.

"You put your tongue in my mouth!"

"I'm meant to!" he replied, defending himself. "You wanna stop?" He asked politely.

"No. I just... wasn't prepared for... that."

Troy once again found himself running his tongue over her sweet lips; only this time, she willingly parted her lips. He'd read magazine articles and heard his older cousins talking, but for the most part, Troy didn't have a clue and was going solely on instinct. Gabriella's body stilled as Troy's tongue flicked over hers; it was definitely a sensation she had to get used to. Sighing inwardly, Troy began to pull out of the kiss; reading Gabriella's lack of reciprocation as an indication of unsubstantial talents, but only seconds before their lips parted, Gabriella's tongue surged forward - providing Troy with his own stimulation.

The kiss had developed; Troy's hands were now situated on Gabriella's waist; his grip tighter, as their tongues playfully battled. Gabriella revelled in the current feeling; his tongue was moist but not wet, sweet from the toffee popcorn but not sickly. It was perfect.

Being two novice kissers, they soon found themselves breathless and forced to part.

"Wow... that was... uhhh..." Troy began.

"Nice." There were so many words that came to mind as Gabriella recalled the taste of his soft tongue as it probed gently in her mouth, but at that moment she found she was unable to utter anything more.

******

Troy lay in bed, bemused at the events of that evening; when he'd slipped the dvd in earlier that night, he would have never suspected the movie was to have such a significant place in his life. His hands were folded behind his head as he stretched himself out under his blue comforter.

"I kissed her." He whispered, saying it aloud as a way of convincing himself it had actually happened.

As he recalled the sweetness of her tongue, her uncertain actions and the suppleness of her lips as they moved slowly across his, Troy felt a tug at his boxers - a feeling that was growing in familiarity. He rolled his eyes, his hand slipping under the comforter.

"Great." He moaned.

******

As Gabriella tried to sleep, desperate to be in that place of care- free dreams and peace, a recurring image flitted across her mind troubling her, forcing her awake. The man in the rainstorm, in her fairy-tale like dreams, was no longer faceless; she could see him clearly, as if he was right in front of her, so close he seemed to be standing, her slender fingers had no trouble brushing across his features. She whispered one final word that night, before finally being taken hostage by sleep.

"Troy."


	4. Thirteen: Changes

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"God Tay, they were so soft," Gabriella sighed, referencing the feel of Troy's lips.

Though they had vowed to keep it a secret, Gabriella had been dying to tell someone; how was she expected to keep something so momentous to herself? Her and Taylor had been studying in her room when she broke; she made Taylor swear never to repeat what she was about to say and then began to recall the events of that fateful Friday night.

"Jeez Gabi, why don't you just tell the guy you love him and get it over with?" Taylor asked. Having an older sister, there had been many occasions where Taylor had heard her sister gushing about a guy she had met, therefore she was instantly able to pick up a girl who was crushing. _She's got it bad._

"I do _not_ like him! Shut up!"

"Then why have you spent," Taylor paused checking the watch that lay on her small wrist, "an hour talking about him?"

Gabriella pouted slightly before contradicting Taylor's comment, "I've been talking about the kiss not him." she mumbled.

"Oh, of course, how could I not have seen the difference?" Taylor's monotone succeeded in communicating her heavy sarcasm. She laughed as Gabriella rolled her eyes, taking a moment to take in the view of the sun-burnt autumn leaves as they fluttered to the ground on her balcony. "So...you guys like...kissing friends now?" She asked as her pen scratched away at her notepad; Taylor had never been one be distracted from her studies.

"What? No! He's still Troy, Taylor - nothing's changed that."

A light thud was made as Taylor flipped book closed, dropping her pen on top of it. "What do you mean nothing's changed?" Her deep brown eyes were filled with confusion as she spoke to her best friend, who fiddled uncomfortably with the decorative cushions that lay on her bed. "Gabriella, Troy was your first kiss, do you not see how huge that is?"

"I get it Tay, but he's still Troy - he's my best friend. Look, we haven't even spoken about it since Friday and that's how it's gonna stay; it happened, it was amazing, that's it."

"What ever you say." Replied Taylor, the corner of her mouth twitching slightly into a smile. "I still can't believe you guys made out," she chuckled.

"We did not. It's only making out if it's over three minutes; we only kissed for like...two." She said blushing, "It's really hard to breathe." She added innocently , as an after thought.

"Ooh look who knows all the technical facts," Taylor teased, nudging Gabriella.

"I like to research don't you know?"

"Was it weird? His tongue being in your mouth?"

Her heart fluttered at the question; suddenly, she was back on the red couch, feeling Troy's tongue slip gently between her lips. "Actually...it wasn't. It seems weird when you hear about it, but it feels..."

"Can you please use another adjective other than 'amazing' Gabi? You're an 'A' student; I really expect more from you,"

"I wasn't going to say that." Gabriella laughed, before silently drifting off again. "In a weird kind of way...it feels...comforting."

Taylor watched her friend, confused. Why must she be so stubborn? She had just told Taylor how amazingly perfect his kiss had been; how she felt safe because it seemed right being with Troy, how he had been really gentle, making sure she was comfortable with everything, and yet she refused to admit her liking for him. Why? But then, an interesting thought occurred to Taylor as her friend attempted to return her focus to the mass of books that surrounded them. ...Maybe it wasn't that she was denying it; maybe she just refused to accept it.

******

Troy followed the lead of his friend, who had bought his bike to a halt, resting it carefully of the concrete ground of the park. Hopping off his skate board, Troy began to remove his helmet, relieving his head of the pressure and once again feeling the wind blow in his brown mop.

"Serious dude?" Chad asked, as he shook his head wildly, attempting to get rid of the helmet hair, restoring his trademark curls to it's glory.

"Yup." answered Troy, taking a refreshing swig of water.

"_Dude!"_ Chad suddenly exclaimed after a brief silence. He had been sensing something different in Troy the entire day but he had refused to admit something was on his mind and then, as they rode through the park that evening after finishing their homework, Troy had casually blurted out, 'I kissed Gabriella.'. It had taken a while for the information to sink in; Troy had just told him he had kissed Gabriella - that wasn't something you heard everyday.

"So...when you say you kissed her," Chad began, curiously, "You mean..?"

Troy nodded, feeling somewhat smug, "Uh-huh, full out kissed her,"

"Damn! Was it strange? You know, coz it was Gabi?"

He took a moment to consider the question before shaking his head in response. "Nah. It was like it wasn't her,"

"Explain,"

"It's like...it should've been weird right? Or at least kind of funny, but it wasn't. I didn't feel like I was kissing Gabriella - my best friend or Gabriella - who I've known forever; it was just Gabriella - a girl. It'd be like you kissing..." He struggled to think of a girl that Chad was that close to.

"A female best friend that I don't have?" Chad interjected.

"...Thanks man," Troy said sarcastically.

"...Any time bro," Chad replied, with equal derision.

"Anyways, like I was saying - it's supposed to be weird kissing a friend... but it wasn't."

"So what now?"

Troy shrugged, for the first time that day feeling slightly blue, "We see each other and never mention it; just like we did today."

******

Gabriella and Taylor strolled aimlessly around the park, the auburn autumn leaves crunching beneath their feet. Taylor perked up, a devious smile spreading on her lips. "Ooh," She said.

"What?" Gabriella asked, her dark eyes trying to locate the source of Taylor's sudden excitement.

"I spy," Taylor started, "with my little eye, something beginning with 'T',"

Gabriella's head dropped, her eyes tilted upwards at Taylor, "'T'? Where in a park Taylor, can't you do better than that?"

"God, that kiss must've fried your brain coz you're never usually this slow." Taylor rolled her eyes. "It's Troy and Chad," She said, pointing to the two boys in the distance. "let's go over!"

Before Gabriella had a chance to protest - something she really wanted to do - Taylor had linked their arms and began dashing across the park.

******

Troy was almost bent double with laughter. Chad was standing, his back to him, with his arms wrapped around his body, alternating between a high-pitched female voice and a deeper male voice.

"Oh Gabriella, your lips; they're so soft." Chad moaned, his hair flopped about as his head twisted.

Troy's foot flared out trying to kick Chad, but missed, being slightly too far away, "You're such an idiot Chad."

Troy's denouncement only spurred Chad on; he continued with more vigour; the writhing of his body becoming more pronounced. "Troy! Troy, that feels so amazing!" His voice was now unbelievably high - almost mouse-like. "Yes Troy! Yes! Ohhh. Kiss me Troy - I don't ever want you to-" He came to an abrupt end when he felt Troy shove him painfully in his chest, causing him to topple slightly. He looked at Troy, thoroughly confused and then, out of the corner of his eye, saw Taylor standing nearby, a disapproving look on her face as her arms folded across her chest. He then rotated his body fully, allowing him to see Gabriella running away into the distance.

"Nice going Chad!" Troy yelled.

"Troy I-" But it was too late, Troy had already disappeared, hot on Gabriella's tale.

"Congrats Danforth." Taylor spat.

"Mckessie." Chad replied, with equal distaste for his counterpart.

******

"Gabi!" Troy called, as Gabriella continued to run. He had been chasing her for over three minutes as she tried to put distance between them. His run slowed to a trot as she reduced her speed. Gabriella had always got flustered when she was mad, and for that reason, as she ran without direction, he breaths soon became shallow; forcing her to stop.

Still, her name echoed around her, she refused to turn to Troy. "Gabriella, _please_." Troy begged. He came behind her, taking hold of her arm but she snatched it away, coldly. "Gabi."

"Leave me alone, Troy."

"Gabi, will you please just listen to me?", she began to walk briskly away, but Troy called after her. "You know you can't leave. What are you gonna do? Tell your mom you left Taylor alone in the park?" She inwardly kicked herself; knowing Troy was right and finally came to a stop, indicating she was ready to let him talk.

"Chad can be an idiot," He started. "You shouldn't pay any attention to him." He said, he hadn't moved from his spot, a few feet away, he didn't want to do anything to further aggravate the situation.

She turned to him, a disbelieving scowl on her face. "Don't blame Chad! From where I'm standing, it's pretty much all your fault." She said bitterly, feeling betrayed.

"...'Kay...so you have a point there; I messed up; we said it'd be a secret," Gabriella shot him a 'you think?' kind of look, and he continued. "But Gabi...I _had _to tell someone. I know we promised but..." He saw a slight flash of guilt cross her face. "You told Taylor didn't you?" He accused, now stepping closer, joining her in the sun-kissed spot she'd found. When she didn't answer Troy merely chuckled. "That's _real_ rich Gabi. Your getting at me for something you did too? A little hypocritical wouldn't you say?"

"Telling Taylor was different, okay?"

"How? You broke the promise just as much as I did,"

"It's different because..." She stuttered. "You're right; I'm being a hypocrite. ...But my friend never stood in the middle of a park _announcing it! _I trusted you, Troy." He finally saw the hurt in her eyes.

"I didn't think Chad would be like." He whispered. "You mad at me?"

Silence.

"Aww come on Gabi, you know you can't stay mad...Puh-wease?" He said with a pout and a baby-like voice.

"You're an idiot, Troy." She commented bluntly.

"But you love me...right?"

"Well...our parents having the relationship they do, I feel somewhat obliged to have _at least _a faint liking for you. ...But _love? That's_ definitely too strong of a word." She held her stern face for a moment or two, before allowing her features to soften into a warm smirk; showing Troy he was forgiven.

"Sorry," He mumbled, an apologetic smile gracing his face. She nodded, not needing to say anything else.

That mild evening, as the saffron sun settled, brushing its golden lips on the tree tops, Troy, with his arm around Gabriella's shoulder, sauntered through the park, to where he and Gabriella had left their friends. They spoke casually; making jokes and allowing small things in the park to capture their attention. Even though on the surface nothing between them had changed, there was an air surrounding them. It wasn't awkward or uncomfortable, but it was there. An air of change and possibility, that would undoubtedly lead them into the world of the unknown.


	5. Fourteen: A New World

**As always, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed. You know the deal - I write you review :D. I don't have much to say about this chapter other than I hope you enjoy :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea blah, blah, blah. I have simply drawn on some characters created by Disney...and how I love Disney for giving me Troy Bolton *sigh***

**ENJOY!!!!!**

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The energy was contagious throughout the halls as seniors gathered, relaying tales of their vacation, and freshmen - fresh meat, as the older kids called them - scrambled around trying to find their way; finding their allocated lockers, home room and searching frantically for a familiar face.

It was the first day of high school.

Gabriella, with her hair fixed neatly in a ponytail, clutched her book close to her breast as she and Taylor made their way through the halls. "Oh God! I'm so sorry." Gabriella said as she bumped into a cheerleader, a hint of fear in her voice.

"Move!".

It hadn't been the response Gabriella had been expecting from the tall blonde, but as she stared up at her - her overly-exposed cleavage making Gabriella feel uncomfortable - she quickly decided that moving, as requested, would be the smartest thing for her to do.

"What was her problem?" Gabriella asked, after making sure they were out of ear-shot.

Taylor responded simply, "We're in High School now, Gabs - don't you know how this works? There's a hierarchy. We're not just 'Smarty Pants' any more, we're 'Brainiacs'. Cheerleaders and Brainiacs don't go."

She continued to look at Taylor for a while after she had stopped speaking, surprise marking her face. "I thought that was like...an urban legend?"

"Not any more," Taylor said, shaking her head. "It's how it's gonna be."

******

"I think I'm gonna love High School." Chad stated dreamily, as he stared through the gym windows, drooling at the cheerleaders as they flipped about, each time exposing more and more of themselves. "Ooh! Look right there - Twelve o'clock. I swear I just saw a nipple!"

"You're such a perv, Chad!" Troy chided, whacking him in his chest. "I shall not engage in this degrading exercise with you - my mom taught me to have nothing but respect for women." Troy pretended to be offended at Chad's activity. His arms folded across his chest and his head tilted upwards.

"Stop be such a girl!" Chad huffed. "Tell me you don't think that chick's hot..."

"Okay... I'll be honest - she's hot. But dude, she is so way out of our league it's incredible," he rolled his eyes at Chad's upset before continuing. "You know it's true! She's come to cheer practice without a bra! She knows people will see her. That kind of girl - I've read about them - they only date Jocks and older guys; they like their guys to have experience." Cutting off Chad before he could protest, he added, "Give it up man." before stepping away from the window to continue his journey.

"Where's Gabriella, anyway? I thought you guys'd be together." Chad asked, having finally caught up with Troy in the jungle that was the hall way.

Troy shrugged, his focus divided by Chad and the sign up boards. "Her and Taylor wanted to sign up to the Math classes and stuff. They wanted to get there early - I'm gonna meet her in a bit though.""Ugh! Taylor." His dislike for Taylor was as prominent as always.

"Did you hear anything I just said?"

His answer was, "I mean, you know I like Gabi - we've been friends almost as long as me and you have - but...God that Taylor Mckessie!", letting Troy know that he hadn't heard anything after Taylor's name.

"I don't get what you guys' problem is." Troy laughed.

"She's just so.." He didn't complete his criticism, instead allowed his eyes to display the harsh emotions he felt towards her.

Patting him on his shoulder, Troy said, "Remind me to never leave you guys alone okay? I'm afraid of what would happen."

******

Gabriella had told Taylor to go up ahead; she was confident she knew her way around the school and she had been asked to speak with the principal, who had been delighted at the news of such a talented pupil in the midst of East High. Nothing particularly interesting had happened; he merely welcomed her, told her she's be a great addition and sent her on her way, but now she was alone, walking across the deserted grounds, wishing she had somebody by her side.

Her hands began to shake ever so slightly as she heard the deep murmurs of male voices. She wasn't sure where they were coming from but her feet automatically began to a slow. Her eyes squeezed shut as she drew in a deep, calming breath. All she had to do was reach the corner. Once she got to the corner it would be fine; she would run across to the gym and cut through. Surely she wouldn't get in trouble for taking a short cut - after all, she was a freshman and that would certainly work to her advantage. She was home clear, had reached the corner, when she felt her self slammed into a rock-hard structure. It took a second for her to regain her balance, she scrunched her eyes as she steadied herself, her hand delicately kneading her forehead. When finally able to look up, she found herself surprised at what she saw. It wasn't a wall, or any other kind of fixed structure as she had expected. No, it was a boy. To call him a boy seemed somewhat insulting to Gabriella; he was over six foot, with a wide chest and firm shoulders. With his facial hair and strong features, he could've easily passed for someone in their early twenties.

"Oh, umm...I'm really sorry." Gabriella started, hoping she wouldn't be known as the girl who bumped into people.

"Hey, don't worry about it - it's cool." His voice was deep but somehow gentle, though it still made Gabriella apprehensive and she became eager to leave.

"Well... I better go. Sorry again." She stepped to the side but was blocked off when he stood in front of her.

"Hey where you going? We can take you." His head gestured slightly to the side and it was then Gabriella noticed his friend. He was the same height as the first guy but was remarkably slimmer. His messy blonde hair framed his face, contrasting with his dark eyes as he shot Gabriella a smirk, one she instinctively recognised as being false.

"No, really, it's fine. I know my way-"

"But as juniors, we feel it's out duty to help any struggling freshman. Let us take you." He insisted, doing an impressive impersonation of a caring gentleman.

"But I'm not struggling - I'm fine. Excuse me." She made to leave again but was once again trapped. Her breaths were shaky, panicked and she felt tears burn beneath her eyelids. "Please." She pleaded.

"We just wanna take you where you're going." He had lost all pretence now, his voice stern.

"B-"

"She doesn't need your help," Gabriella's entire frame relaxed at the sound of the voice. It was a voice that she'd know since childhood, one that represented home and comfort. It was Troy. "Just leave her alone."

"Awww...who's the little pipsqueak? Your boyfriend?" The blonde friend said. Hearing his voice for the first time sent chills down Gabriella's spine. He stepped forward, blocking the sun from Troy's vision as he towered over him. He dipped his head so he was level with Troy as he spoke in a snide whisper, "Get outta here man."

"Not till you leave her alone!" Troy yelled.

"What she to you anyway?" The larger friend asked as he pulled Gabriella's books out of her grasp, ignoring her yelp, as one by one he flung them to the ground, looking at them in distaste. "Hey Tommy check this out." He said to the friend who was pushing Troy about as he attempted to get back Gabriella's books. "His girlfriend's a little Einstein. You a Mathlete?" he asked. "Answer me!" He yelled. The tremors of his voice making Gabriella topple slightly. "My sister was a Mathlete. You see...she's always been the favourite; always been the smart one."

"I've got nothing to do with your sister." Gabriella said timidly.

"Well... you kinda have. I don't like Mathletes. You're a Mathlete. We have a problem here."

"Don't touch her!" Troy screamed as Gabriella was closed in upon.

"FUCK! You. Are. Seriously. Pissing. Me. Off!" He spoke slowly, showing his annoyance.

"Well you're pissing me off too!"Gabriella trembled. As much as she appreciated Troy's efforts, she really wished he would stop talking. She was certain he was only serving to further aggravate the two boys and as the two of them only had a combined weight of two hundred and ten pounds and wouldn't be able to do much to protect themselves, that really wasn't a good idea.

The sky darkened, the wind stilled, leaving only three audible sounds left. The distinctive crack! as his fist connected with Troy's small nose. The thud as Troy's body collapsed to the ground and the scream of Gabriella as she watched the blood gush from Troy's nose as he lay helpless, writhing in pain.

******

"Oh My God! What happened to him!?" The school nurse shrieked as she jumped off her chair to aid Gabriella with carrying Troy. He was visibly delirious, his face was covered in blood and his t-shirt stained. Mrs. Sampson lifted Troy up onto the bed, before rushing to get some cleaning aids - deciding the first thing to do was remove the dried blood from his arms and face. "Sweetie? Can you tell your name?" She asked softly as she wiped the damp cloth over his hands.

"URGH!" He yelled out in pain, seeing stars flying before his eyes.

Mrs. Sampson turned to Gabriella instead, though not desisting with her cleaning.

"Uhh..." Gabriella stuttered, still in shock. "Troy."

Her head shot up; her blue eyes finding Gabriella's. "Jack's son?" She inquired. When Gabriella responded with a frantic nod, she began calling out instructions. "That phone over there - on the desk - dial one five eight and tell Coach Bolton to come down here.

Gabriella obeyed, rushing to the phone, desperate to see a familiar face; one that would tell her everything was going to be okay. When a voice sounded on the other end, Gabriella yelled, "I need my Uncle! Uncle Jack, tell him to come down here!"

"Excuse me?"

"Uncle - uhhh...I mean Coach - Coach Bolton! We need him in the nurses office. Troy got into trouble!" Gabriella responded, her voice still shaken.

******

There was a soft tap on his door as he drifted out of his slumber. "Uhhh." Troy groaned, welcoming his visitor. Gabriella's head peered around the door. She wore a sympathetic smile and carried a tray holding a large bowl of soup.

"Hey, your mom said the medication would be wearing off and that you would be awake. She said I could bring this up," She said, as she treaded carefully across his room to where he was situated.

"Soup?" He moaned incredulously. He'd just been through that and he got soup? Not steak, or something manly...soup.

"Mrs. Sampson said you wont be eating properly until the swelling goes down - it would aggravate the muscle." Gabriella explained as she stood over him, allowing him to adjust his position in order to accommodate that tray.

"Great." He replied, setting the tray on his lap and reaching for the silver spoon.

As he slurped at the soup, he sighed as the warmth coated his empty stomach.

"How do you feel?"

"Well," He paused, twitching his nose. "My nose has a pulse and I can't eat real food but other than that? Yeah, I'm great." He returned to his soup as Gabriella's mocha eyes drifted around his room. After another sip his head rose slowly to look at her. "I sure hope this isn't a preview of the next four years of our life." He said sadly.

"That's what I'm afraid of." She sighed. "Everything's so different know,"

"What do you mean?"

"Think about it, Troy. You know things wouldn't have gotten so bad had that jerk not seen my math books. He probably would've pushed you about a bit but nothing like this." She indicated towards his nose.

"You said it yourself - he's a jerk. Not everyone's going to be like that.""I know that but... at elementary and middle school it was just seen as kind of weird that Taylor and I liked math, but now... I'm suddenly a freaky math girl and you're getting beaten just for being my friend. And that's just now," She continued, her upset growing. "What about when you make the basketball team? Then you're going to be the Jock and I'm just... I don't know."

"Firstly, who says I'm gonna make the team anyway?" She shot him a look, telling him to drop the modesty but he ignored it and continued. "I know things have changed - the evidence being my fractured nose - but things are gonna be okay, you know that right? He brushed his hand across her arm that lay on his bed when she didn't answer. "They will. You know why? It's me and you - we've done a lot together, Gabs, high school isn't gonna get the better of us. No one is going to tell me who I can and cannot be friends with. ...I'd take a thousand broken noses for you, nothing will change that."

She looked up shyly, her finger tracing invisible patterns on his comforter. "Me and you? Promise?"

"I've never broken a promise have I?" She shook her head, a curl coming loose and laying softly against her cheek. "Then I promise." He lifted her right hand, linking their little fingers together in a childhood gesture.

"Troy?"

"Yeah?" He had returned to his bowl of soup, his stomach growling uncontrollably.

"That thing you have on your nose... it looks ridiculous!" She giggle, immediately dropping her head to the side, dodging Troy's flying hand.

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	6. Fourteen: Open Up

**I can't explain how much I'm loving writing this. Everyday I think of a bit more to add to the story :D**

**Enjoy this chapter and tell me what you think :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

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"Bolton! Step forward!"

His nose had fully healed, though there was still a slight ache, and Troy, on his first day back, stood in the gym. He had gone to tryout for the basketball team and had felt a sly smile cross his face as he stepped into the hall, realising that Tommy Cooper - the one responsible for his fractured nose - was the Co-Captain of the Wildcats.

Payback.

He stepped forward boldly, when he was called up for a one-on-one game and saw fear flash across Tommy's eyes.

"Bolton? Coach's son?" He masked his panic convincingly, his voice still stern, but Troy wasn't convinced

"Small world isn't it?" He said, stepping level to him. Troy knew he could still be bitter and use it as an opportunity to get back at him, denying him his place on the team, but he also knew that he was better than half the guys there and for Tommy to do anything other than give him a shot would be all too obvious.

"Three minutes to prove yourself." He said firmly, his voice echoing heavily the boy who had beaten Troy weeks ago. "Me and you. First to five. Can you handle it?"

"I can handle you."

"You got game?"

"A little." He responded, holding Tommy's gaze, not allowing himself to get the tiniest bit intimidated.

He felt his hands stinging as his ball was forcefully snatched out of his hands. "We play with my ball." Tommy said, throwing Troy's carelessly to the side.

"Whatever's easier for you." Troy laughed inwardly, hearing the rest of the gym echo with laughter at his response. He followed, stepping into the middle of the court, though he had to strain his neck, his eyes fixed on Tommy's as they both got into position. Things seem to slow as the whistle blew, signalling the start of the game. The ball flew high into the air and Troy, with all he could muster, soared for it. Breaths stilled as his palm made contact with the tight orange rubber, the crowd roaring as he stole the ball, swerving past Cooper with precision and ease.

******

"Congratulations Wildcat!" Gabriella called elatedly as her arms wrapped around Troy's neck.

"Wildcat?" He ask, bemused.

"It's all around East High how you schooled that jerk! You're officially a Wildcat now!" Gabriella hugged him again, the excitement she felt for her friend refusing to be contained.

"Thanks. It felt kind of good to get back at him. In my own little way." Troy smiled, finally allowing his new status to sink in.

"You want to go get a milkshake? My treat?" Gabriella asked. She continued to jump on the spot, completely oblivious to the staring eyes.

Making their way along the corridors, it was evident that Troy had morphed into an East High hero. People stopped him, asked him where he was headed and congratulated him on his success and new found fame. Gabriella wore a smile of undying pride - her best friend was a superstar.

******

The air was temperate that evening as Gabriella crossed the Bolton's yard. Their was a slight breeze in the air and a sweet smell lingered, making Gabriella smile. She paused for a moment a she watched Troy. He had been practising avidly since getting onto the basketball team and here he was again on the basketball court, his ball in hand, his body weaving through imaginary opponents as he made his way to the net. He swerved, dribbled, his billowing white shirt occasionally revealing his taut stomach. Finally his feet lifted from the ground, his wrist flicking with perfection as he took the shot.

"Will he make it? Will he? Will he? ...And... Yes! Never before have we seen a shot taken with such concentration, but it sure has paid off. Ladies and gentlemen... Troy Bolton." Gabriella began to clap, cheering wildly as Troy blushed - he had thought he was alone.

"If I get big-headed I'm blaming you," He laughed, throwing Gabriella the ball.

She bounced it a few times, squinting in an attempt to block out the warn rays of sun, before shooting. She watched in anticipation as it swerved the rim, once, then twice, before tipping slightly to the right and hitting the floor with a thud. Shrugging she continued the conversation. "You know you love it. All the girls are all like 'Oh my God, you're friends with Troy Bolton?'." She rolled her mocha eyes. _If only they knew what a nerd he was_, she thought.

"You've got too much wrist." Troy casually pointed out her flaw when it came to basketball, before replying. "I won't lie; basketball has it's perks," he laughed. "Being the 'Wildcat' isn't all that though. Especially when you're the coach's son." He sighed, throwing the basketball over his head and opening the door to the kitchen, ushering Gabriella inside.

As he pulled open the stainless-steel fridge Gabriella handed him two orange tumblers and watched him fill the glasses with cranberry juice, before handing her a plate of golden brown cookies.

"They think you're the teacher's pet?" Gabriella questioned, as her teeth sunk into the ginger nut cookies, the flavour exploding like a firework, into her mouth. "God that's good." The moaned.

"Yeah," Troy chuckled. "Want to watch a movie?" Troy asked innocently, having second thoughts about the subject he had bought up.

As he headed to the living room, Gabriella called him back. "Not getting out of it that easy, Troy. You haven't told me what's up yet." She had a one-sided smirk as his body swivelled and he hopped onto the counter. Gabriella watched him intently, she knew he would rather not go into it. It was the little things that gave Troy away; the way he didn't hold eye contact, but instead let his cobalt eyes focus on the cookie that lay between his fingers.

"You know me, Gabriella. I've practiced basketball with my dad every evening since I was about five, and even though it was about getting better, it's never really been... it's always just felt like it was me and dad hanging out, having fun - cuz we love playing ball."

"What changed?" She enquired, her head tilting up to him.

"High school. ...Since I got onto the team everything's been kicked up a notch. I knew that things would get more serious but now it's like...my dad's just going crazy with everything," His voice raised with frustration. "It isn't how it used to be; my dad's so hard on me I don't even like after-school practice anymore and then team practice? It's ridiculous! He's gets at me more than any of the other guys. If we all have a sucky practice _I'm_ the one who has to do free-throws again, _I'm_ the one who runs extra laps, the one that's made an example of - it's always me!" Finally their eyes met and Gabriella was able to see the resentment being held in his sapphire eyes. She saw the anger, the feeling of betrayal and helplessness.

"Are you sure?" She asked tactfully. "Maybe you just feel like there's more attention on you."

Troy huffed loudly as he rolled his eyes. "Gabriella, I'm sweating buckets more than everyone else on that team, I'm not the only one that's noticing it!" His voice dropped again and for a split second Gabriella thought the saw a glistening tear balance on his eyelash. "You know what I hate the most? ...He doesn't even call me 'Troy' anymore. If it has anything to do with ball then he calls me 'Bolton'." He chuckled bitterly, "My _dad_ calls me 'Bolton'." His last statement was more to himself than it was to Gabriella.

"Why don't you talk to him? Maybe he doesn't realise he's doing it." Gabriella suggested as Troy bit down on another cookie, hoping the route of the soft crumbs down his throat would dislodge the lump that had formed there.

"Whatever, I'm not going to talk to him." He immediately dismissed her recommendation and hopped off the kitchen counter, exiting the room and heading towards the living room.

Bemused by his sudden disappearance, Gabriella trotted after him, calling down the hall, "Why?". She finally caught up with him, his body perched on the arm of the sofa. He flicked through the T.V channels, not caring what was on, trying to distract himself.

"Troy," She called again, hating him ignoring her.

"I'm not a girl, Gabriella!" In his temper he threw the remote to the side, allowing the thudding sound as it his the floor wash past him, not taking it in.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" It was the first time Gabriella had raised her voice to him that day; showing her anger.

Regretting making Gabriella his emotional punching bag, he attempted to clarify his comment. "No - I...I me-"

"You know what, Troy!?" He had pushed her too far. Like a shark who had smelt blood, Gabriella's eyes narrowed. "When's someone's trying to help you, giving you advice, try not to insult them!"

"I just-"

"Sort it out on your own, Troy, I'm going home." With that she was gone, her brisk steps fading into the distance, until the light patter of her feet were no longer a part of Troy's world.

He stood by the window, watching as she crossed his front yard, the green strands of grass flittering slightly as she breezed past. His fist were clenched tightly, his heart pounding as anger - at the situation, not Gabriella - seeped through his pores. He watched as Gabriella disappeared from his view, the small frame of her body following the curve of the corner.

"Dammit!"

******

She knew those steps, that breath, the light rustling of polyester basketball shorts. Why couldn't he leave her alone?

"Go away!" She didn't turn to face him, instead kept her head forward, not missing a single step.

"I'm walking you home," The voice behind her responded. She could tell he was getting closer.

"I can see my house from here, I don't need you."

"Look," His voice was stern, a tone he seldom used when conversing with Gabriella. "I've never let you go home on your own, whether you're mad or not I'm walking you home."

She slowed, falling beside him, there steps in sync.

He observed her for a short while as they walked in silence, the distance between their two houses seeming, somehow, to double. "Guys don't talk like girls do, that's what I meant. The way we talk, I could never talk like that to Chad or my dad even," He wanted desperately to make peace, hoping to clear the air before the night was out. "I can know something's up with Chad but if I ask him what's wrong he'll give one of two responses: 'I don't wanna go into it.' or 'I'm cool.' and I leave it; that's just how we are."

"But why? Is it so hard for you guys to just _communicate_?" She was truly baffled.

"This is how we've been for thousands of years." His voice was getting sharper, his stubbornness beginning to show.

"Exactly, Troy! _Thousands_ of years. But guys were also hunting with spears back then -- it's called evolution!" She never understood why guys saw things in such simplistic ways, why they were so reluctant to change sometimes.

"Thousands, Gabi, why change it now?"

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella replied, her steps resuming. "'If it ain't broke' right?" She asked sarcastically, nearing the white fence of her home.

"My motto." Troy answered.

Everything seemed to pass them by - the kids playing carelessly in the street, the dogs in the front yards that bounded up to their fences, excited at the prospect of new faces - as they closed in on Gabriella's house, both of them with the same question in mind: When did things get so complicated?

Trailing just a step behind Gabriella, Troy stood awkwardly at her front door as she produced her key. "So...umm...night."

The lock of the door clicking, permitting her entry Gabriella responded. "G'night." As Troy swivelled on the balls of his feet, ready to leave, Gabriella's slim fingers caught his wrist. "When I talk to you, I do it because I know I can tell you anything, we've known each other so long it's just...instinctual to come to you. But at the same time, I know that I can talk to Taylor, my mom, your mom...who ever. I talk to you because I want to, not because I can't go to anybody else," She could tell that Troy knew where she was leading and had therefore lost interest, but she continued, desperate for him to understand. "He's your dad, Troy and he loves you. Talk to him."

He was careful not to dismiss her again, not wanting to injure her feelings, so as tactfully as he could, replied, "Good night, Brie."

She looked in his eyes, so blue and stubborn, and knew there was no talking to him. "Night. ...And thanks for walking me."

He was now at her fence, his fingers fiddling with the metal lock. "Anytime." With a smile and a wink, he was gone. His shoulders slumped as if he bore weights on each, his hands stuffed firmly into his pockets, showing themselves only occasionally when he would run them through his shaggy mane - a gesture that always exposed his nerves.

_One day,_ Gabriella thought. _One day he'll learn._


	7. Fifteen: Everything

**Whoo! Sorry about the wait, but with easter and writing my second story (found here: .com/), I've been pretty busy. Also, my chapters are now longer, I never realised that they appear longer writing them on word processor than they are, so I hope you like the new and improved length! :D**

**Hmmm...what else? .... Nope! I think that's all for now, I hope you enjoy and review ect. ect. ect. I'm hoping to get _at least_ 40 reviews for this chapter. Do you think you can do that!? I hope so!!**

**ENJOY!!!**

**Disclaimer: I own only the plot, words a creativity.**

**___________________________________________________________________________________________________________**

The red and white walls of East High were buzzing with the news of the new arrivals. The ninth graders had to been notified that they were to be joined by two new pupils and word had quickly spread, one by one the pupils gathering new information like bees collecting nectar from a sweet flower in the summertime. Whispers had escalated; they had gone from being two new students, to the kids of FBI agents, spies and even, the most recent rumour, children who were in witness protection.

The day was finally here and the halls were lined with excited kids, just waiting to see whether their new classmates would live up to their expectations. Hush fell over the school as the doors swung open revealing, first, a Blonde girl, dressed head to toe in hot pink and finally, scurrying behind, her brother, who donned a carefully coordinated get-up of checks and stripes. The girl, who was still unnamed, strutted down the hallway as if she owned it; not weaving around people like an average student, but instead making it clear that they were to clear her path. She was small for her age, but compensated for her height with a pair of high-heeled sliver shoes. By her dress alone she seemed to have cheerleader written all over her; skirts as short as hers and tight tank tops were only ever seen on such girls - but there was something different about her - something that stuck out.

Sighing and rolling her eyes, Gabriella turned to Troy and said, "Oh, look it's a girl and a boy! Can we go now?"

Before Troy had a chance to reply, Chad raised his hand to hush her. "Not yet, we have to suss them out a little."

Rolling her eyes once more, Gabriella slumped against her locker, watching the pathetic display of hormonal boys, drooling at the blonde beauty. As she watched the students of East High part like the red sea, her attention drifted to somebody else. The brother. He walked briskly trying to keep up with his sister, but he still had a confident air about him. He wore a pin-striped pair of lilac trousers, a matching t-shirt and a checked tank and then, to finish it off, a deep blue, checked Trilby, titled ever so carefully to the side. She smirked as she watched him walk, ignoring the questioning eyes that widened at his attire. "I think the brother might be okay," she commented.

The crowds had now begun to disperse but the siblings were yet to pass Troy, Gabriella and Chad, who were determined (Chad and Troy, at least) to wait until they passed them. They stopped, turning to their respective lockers, Blondie (as she would be named until they knew otherwise), eyeing hers as though it were unsuitable. After primping her hair in a small glittered mirror she carried, the metal door shut and, beckoning her brother to follow, she began to walk off, leaving Troy and his friends behind. She halted, her brother bumping into her, surprised by her sudden stop. She turned her head slowly, locking eyes with Troy, who froze in shock. Then, she pouted her glossed lips slightly before slowly closing an eye, winking.

As she disappeared around the corner, out of ear-shot, Troy stuttered, "Did she...?"

"No way." Gabriella said.

"She winked at you!" Chad answered elatedly, slapping Troy on the back.

Once the show was over and the bell called each pupil to their classes, the familiar bustle once again returned; pupils bid goodbye to each other and went their separate ways.

Troy, Gabriella and Chad, slipped into homeroom, immediately finding the desks that had been assigned to them at the start of the year. The whispers that floated and the crumpled notes that were being exchanged ceased as the firm clap of Ms. Darbus sounded.

"Alright, settle down, settle down." She called. "Welcome, Ninth Graders, to a brand new week," Ms. Darbus never spoke in a casual tone; each comment she made was delivered as though she were back up on her beloved Broadway stage, reciting a monologue to a crowd of adoring fans. "Of course you all know that we are welcoming two new faces into the embracing clutches of East High. So, children, welcome, Miss Sharpay Evans." As her name was called Sharpay rose from her seat, blowing kisses and waving like a pageant contestant, not seeming to notice that her enthusiasm wasn't being returned.

"Why, thank you, Ms. Darbus. It's a pleasure to be here, I'm looking forward to getting to know each of you...and your _fabulous_ Drama department." With that she sat again.

Clapping, Ms. Darbus placed a hand over her heart. "The Drama club is always ready to take new students into it's warm bosom. Oh, and let us not forget your darling brother, welcome," her hand stretched, pointing to the desk that sat behind Sharpay's. "Ryan Evans."

Unlike his sister, Ryan was more low-key, choosing to remain seated while glancing around at his classmates, with a half-smile and a wave.

While Ms. Darbus went on about the passed weekend and the importance of living life to it's fullest, a scrap of paper dropped onto Troy's desk. Glancing up, checking that Darbus wouldn't catch him, Troy unfolded the note, smoothing out the creases until he was able to read it. It was Chad's writing that was revealed and Troy laughed as he read the note.

_What do you think about her?_

He paused, thinking over the question carefully. As his eyes drifted, he once again caught the gaze of Sharpay who blew him a kiss. Slowly reaching for his pen, he quickly scratched, _**I haven't decided yet. You?**_

_*shrug* She's bold, I know that much_

Out of the corner of his eye he looked at her again. _**She's kinda cute. ...I guess**_

_You're ttly in with her. She was winking and everything!_

_**Shut up!!!**_

Before Chad could write a quick response, Ms. Darbus called his name. "Danforth! How many times have I told you about that ball of yours?"

Chad looked down sheepishly at the basketball that was wedged firmly between himself and his desk.

"You know, in a theatre such a sin could never be committed. Children, a theatre is a holy place..."

Sighing, Chad sank further into his chair, knowing he was off the hook.

******

Trying to stuff her numerous music sheets into her locker, Kelsi Neilson groaned as, for the third time in the last two hours, they slipped to the floor, colliding with each other and ruining the order she had arranged them into. Dropping to the floor, she scrambled to pick them up, embarrassed.

"Here," a gentle voice said. "Let me help."

Without looking up, she rambled, "No, it's fine I have it, really..."

"I insist." A pale hand was placed on top of the pile and she followed the path of it, until she was finally eye to eye with it's owner.

"I...uhhh," she kicked herself. Speak, Kelsi! Speak!

"Hi, I'm Ryan,"

Somehow her brain connected enough for her to take his offered hand and shake it, though still no words were formed. They shook hands in silence as Ryan looked at her. She was smaller than all the girls in their grade but that didn't bother him. She wore a pair of cute purple-rimmed rectangular glasses and the ends of her curly brown hair could be seen peeping out under the rim of her hat.

Handing over her many sheets, Ryan said with curiosity, "You write music?"

She merely nodded in response.

"Cool. My sister, Sharpay, and I, we do theatre. We've done it since we were little. Hey, is the Drama programme here any good?"

Another nod. Finally her brain awoke, allowing her to say, "Thank you,...Ryan,"

A smile, a mile wide, spread across his face. "Hey, don't worry about it...uhhh..." he looked at her, urging her to tell him her name.

"Oh, Oh...Umm...I'm...I'm Kelsi. Kelsi Neilson." She thanked her stars that she was even able to remember her name.

"That's a pretty name." He mused. "So, you into to drama?"

"Not drama very much but I compose the music for all the shows we do here," she explained with pride.

"Oh," he was clearly impressed. "A composer. I like that."

Kelsi smiled. "Well if you want to come by and check out the theatre, Ms. Darbus is their every free period and I'm either there or in the music room so..." she looked around, her nervousness returning. "You can come by sometimes. I can...show you around."

"That'd be awesome! No doubt Sharpay and I will be by later."

"Cool." checking her watch she said, "I...uhh...I gotta get to class so..."

"Right, bye,"

She backed away, smiling and nodding. "Bye. Thanks again for uhh..." instead of finishing her sentence she raised her music papers. "Bye." She spun and began heading away, her head turning when her name was called.

"Cute hat." Ryan called, tipping the rim of his own.

Brushing the top of her pink newsboy, Kelsi blushed before turning back and breaking into a trot.

******

"Anyone spoken to them yet?" Troy asked curiously as, he Chad, Gabriella and Taylor huddled around a table in the canteen.

Each of them shook their heads in turn before Gabriella said, "Everyone's seen the way she's been eyeing you all day, it won't be long before she comes over here,"

"Whatever,"

"The girls right," Taylor said. "She couldn't keep her eyes off of you in homeroom - just like all the others." With that she rolled her dark brown eyes.

"I, for one," Chad interjected. "Think that Troy's should make the first move, after all, he is the guy,"

"God, why don't you guys hold off on the wedding plans! She winked at me - big deal! I don't know anything about her other than her name and you guys expect me to go ask her out?"

Gabriella's head snapped up, an unfamiliar look in her eyes. "Who said anything about asking her out? We just said that it's clear she likes you." Each of them turned to look at Gabriella, wondering where the change in tone had come from. "What?" She asked, her head falling once again to the appealing tray of food before her. "I was just asking." She mumbled.

******

Thankful for the free period, Troy packed his books into the confined space of his locker, smiling at the knowledge that he had survived math - his dreaded subject. As his locker door swung close, he jumped at the sight of a wide-eyed Blonde in front of him. As most classes were yet to be let out, the halls were usually empty and without witnesses, Troy felt somewhat apprehensive.

"Hi," she chirped, with an fervent wave. "I'm, Sharpay Evans."

Stuttering momentarily, Troy replied, "Umm...yeah...right. I'm Troy...Bolton." He smiled slightly.

Stroking his arm boldly, she said slowly, "It's a real _pleasure_ to meet you Troy Bolton." Returning to her former pace and dropping her groping hand, she continued. "So, we're in homeroom together right? I have a really great feeling about East High, everyone seems really nice too." She added cheekily, "the boys aren't half bad either. So, Troy, a little birdie tells me that you're on the basketball team here,"

"Yeah, that's rig-"

His sentence was incomplete as Sharpay begin to ramble once more. "That's totally awesome," She said. "I love sports."

Troy cocked his head to the side suspiciously. "You? I wouldn't have taken you for a sports fan."

"Are you kidding? I love it. Fields, courts, arenas - I love it all."

"Right." He replied, disbelievingly.

"So, Mr. Bolton, will you be my Knight and show me around?" She dipped her head and smiled brightly at him.

Students began to trickle out of their classes and Troy remembered his plan to surprise Gabriella. "I'd love to Sharpay but I need to meet Gabriella,"

Her face dropped dramatically. "Gabriella?"

"Yeah, but go to the office," - his thumb jerked behind them as he pointed to the brown door that she needed only steps away - "and they'll find someone to help you out."

"Oh, okay."

"I really gotta go." He said as he glanced behind them and saw Gabriella's brown curls bouncing futher and further away.

As he stepped off, Sharpay called, "Toodles!"

He waved and continued through the busy halls, weaving towards Gabriella. Hoping the many greetings thrown at him hadn't alearted her to his presence, he snuck up behind her, placing two soft hands across her eyes while instructing, "Guess who."

Gabriella chuckled. Her and Troy had been playing this game since they were six. Troy would sneak up behind her, place his hands over her eyes and in a deep manly voice, tell her to 'guess who'. She then proceeded to name two of her current celebrity crushes and laugh as Troy scoffed at the names before telling her it was him. It was an age-old routine that they never tired of. "Ummm...Matt Damon?"

Silence.

"Okay then...Leonardo DiCaprio?"

"Ugh! Puh-lease!" Gabriell giggled. "What's so awesome 'bout those guys anyway? They have _nothing _compared to _me._"

"Oh, sure," Gabriella said, rolling her eyes as she strolled, with Troy's arm around her, through the busy halls. "Except _stunning _good looks, tons of money, and...did I mention they're hot?" She teased.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. But," he said with emphasis. "Could either of them share with you amazingly awesome secret places that they've found?" Gabriella's brows shot up in excitement. "I didn't think so." His steps slowed as they neared an unmarked white door and he subtly pushed it open. "Follow me."

Instructing her to close her eyes, he took her small hand in his as they reached the top of the stairs. However, something to Gabriella felt different this time. In the past, holding Troy's hand had never been a big deal; at a young age, they had been told by their parents to hold each others hand whilst crossing the road or going to get ice-cream and seeing as they'd been doing it for so long, Troy casually reaching for her hand to guide her through somewhere had never meant anything to Gabriella. But now, her heart fluttered and she began to feel sick with the speed with which the Butterflies circled her stomach.

Realising he had been holding her hand just a second too long, Troy suddenly let go, and ran a hand through his hair, while he said, "Well...this is it," his free hand indicating to the array of beautiful flowers on the garden roof. "You like it?"

Running to the edge of the railing, Gabriella closed her eyes and let her head fall back as the tropical aroma wafted through her nostrils. "Troy it's beautiful. How did you find it?" She asked, amazed.

"I was trying to avoid my dad during free period and there was just this...door. I figured I'd see where it lead to and...tada!" He laughed. "Pretty cool up here, huh?"

Following Troy to an oak bench, she responded, "It's just so peaceful - especially with the sun out - it feels magical." They sat in silence, with their eyes closed, allowing the sun to wash over them.

"You can't tell anybody about this place,"

"Troy, I think the science club may already know." She laughed.

"_Clearly, _Gabs. But seriously, this should just be our place, our hideout from high school."

"Like that little den we made back in Kindergarten?" She asked.

Nodding earnest, Troy said, "Yeah. Just like Kindergarten."

******

"Hey, Uncle J!" Gabriella called as Jack Bolton walked into his kitchen, laughing as Troy hurled an apple across the room to Gabriella.

"Hey, Gabi. I thought you were over at your place today, isn't that your Friday routine?"

"We went over there, but we couldn't find the pizza menu so we came back here to get it, but decided to stay." Troy answered, as he scrambled through the stuffed draws, looking for the red and yellow eye-catching colours of the pizza place. "Got it!" He yelled triumphantly, brandishing the sought for leaflet.

Joining in as his niece laughed at Troy's glee, Jack said, "Anything interesting happen today at school?"

"Nope." Said Troy, definitely. "Nothing interesting."

"What Troy means is, that new girl, Sharpay keeps giving him all these _looks_ and making excuses to come over and talk to him and _casually-" _Gabriella rolled her eyes as Troy, sitting beside her, blushed furiously as his dad smirked. "Rub his biceps."

"Thanks, Gabs." Troy whispered hoarsely, though as his dad was barely a metre away and caught every word.

"So this Sharpay - she's the Evans twin right? - she likes you, huh?"

"I don't know. I think so...I mean...yeah, I guess." He said embarrassed, his eyes fixed in his lap.

"Give her the old Bolton charm, son. It never fails." Jack winked at Troy, his booming laughter ringing through the halls long after he had left for the front porch.

******

Startled, Troy pulled out his headphones as a fist, once again, knocked on his solid wood door. "Come in." He called.

Peering his head around the door, Jack smiled as he stepped inside. "Hey. What you doing?"

"Errr...nothing really, I walked Gabi home a little while ago and I was just listening to some music." After pizza and a movie, Troy had gallantly walked Gabriella home, gritting his teeth throughout her relentless teasing. Since Sharpays' first day at East High - more specifically, Sharpay's first _wink _at East High - the subject had become a popular one for all of Troy's friends.

"Troy," Jack said solemnly. "I want to talk to you."

"Uhhh...Okay."

Sitting on the edge of Troy's bed, Jack hesitated. As a parent, he never pictured himself having this conversation, but it was no apparent that Troy was getting older and the time had come. "You're getting older now," he began by saying. "And as a teenage boy your body's experiencing new things."

Troy's blue eyes bugged out as he saw the route of this conversation. "Dad, really you can stop. I know all this."

"Let me finish." Jack said calmly, as Troy slid down in his desk chair, his head in his hands. "You're getting older and you're interested in girls now - I get that - but things are changing and you need to be prepared and have the facts."

As Jack spoke technically, giving Troy pamphlet after pamphlet and offering him opportunities to ask questions, Troy prayed. He prayed harder than he ever had in his whole fifteen years. If there was a God - which by the end of the night, he was convinced there wasn't - he was going to let a bolt of lighting strike and kill him right then in his room, saving him from, what he was sure was going to be, permanent humiliation.

******

Sat alone in a hidden crevice of the school library, Gabriella, who was seated on the floor, her back against the wall, absent-mindedly tapped her pen against the floor as her eyes intently scanned the pages of her chosen book, her brown eyes gleaming with the absorbed knowledge. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a shadow edge closer to her, but assuming the person was also looking for a quiet spot, she ignored it. She then, however, heard a high-pitched greeting that was, without a doubt, amined at her.

"Hi," the person said. "Mind if I join you?"

The voice, Gabriella recognised to be Sharpay's, but as Sharpay's questions were only ever rhetorical, it was without hesitation that she positioned herself next to Gabriella, completely oblivious to Gabriella's annoyance as she slowly shut her book, aware that she wasn't going to be able to read anymore with Sharpay by her side.

"Wow, you're like, _reading_during free period," she sated. Whether it was a question or statement, Gabriella couldn't tell but she knew, at the very least, that Sharpay was shocked.

"What are the chances, right?" She replied in dry humour.

Sharpay lead into the conversation saying that she felt bad they hadn't gotten to know each other and that she wanted that to change, but Gabriella wasn't convinced and felt that there was something Sharpay was trying to find out. Much to her amusement, the entire conversation, though it was meant to be about Sharpay's yearning to learn more about her potential friends, was spent with Sharpay jabbering on about herself; about her wants, needs, quirks and desire. Finally, moments before the bell chimed, Sharpay cracked, asking the question that had been bugging her.

"Are you dating Troy?" She blurted out.

Gabriella almost choked on the sip of water she had just had and flew into a bout of coughs. When she was once again able to breathe, she said, "Me and Troy!?" A shushing sound was heard coming from the Librarian, forcing Gabriella to drop her voice to a whisper. "No, I'm not dating him! He's Troy! Of course I'm not!"

Sharpay raised her hands in apology, thrown by Gabriella's resounding denial. "Hey, I was only asking. My mistake, I guess, you don't have to go all crazy."

"What? ...Oh, God, sorry. I didn't mean... I was just...shocked. Troy and I are...we... Why would you think that?" She asked out of honest curiosity.

Sharpay shrugged, fluffing her hair. "I don't know, you guys just have this kind of couple-y energy. You're so...in sync." Checking her pink diamond-encrusted watch and seeing that free period was almost over, Sharpay stood to leave; seeing as she had gotten her desired answer she had no reason to stay.

"Well...we're not, okay?" Gabriella said, as Sharpay adjusted herself, making sure she looked presentable. "Look, me and Troy have known each other for ever. We're best friends, that's it. Nothing more."

"Okay, I was only asking." Sharpay replied, a little unsettled by Gabriella. "Well," she said puckering her lips as she applied her lip gloss. "I've got to run. Great talking to you, we should do this again." Turning just before she was out of side, she raised her manicured hand and with a quick wave, she called, "Toodles!" And with that, she was gone.

The rest of free period, Gabriella found that she was unable to read, unable to concentrate, Sharpay's words ringing torturously in her ears. She herself had to admit to being slightly taken-aback by her emphatic response. She couldn't help but wonder who she was really trying to convince; Sharpay or..._her_?

******

"So, what, exactly, are you mad at?" Taylor asked. Strolling along the pavement towards Gabriella's home, Taylor had asked Gabriella what was wrong. Since their second free period, Gabriella had seemed somewhat aloof but nobody was able to figure out why. After bugging her consistently during their walk home, Taylor made Gabriella crack and finally she admitted something was wrong.

"I'm mad because she thought we were together, Taylor, keep up!" She yelled, frustrated at the fact her friend was bombarding her with questions instead of sharing her outrage.

"You sure about that?" Taylor's eyebrow quirked as she saw slight embarrassment run across Gabriella's small face. "That's all you're mad about?"

"Yes, of course I...it's just that...I don't know." She sighed dejectedly as Taylor pushed open the wooden door obstructing them in their bid to get into the serene back yard.

"Yeah, you do, you're just afraid to say it - I can't be honest with you if you won't say what's up." Taylor said, missing Gabriella's look of annoyance; Taylor's insightfulness wasn't always appreciated.

"I _was_ mad at the fact she thought we were dating - it seems like you can't _just_ be friends with a guy anymore. But...it bugged me because...part of me was glad, there was this little part inside me that wanted to say 'yes', that liked the fact she thought that."

Smiling at the revelation she'd been waiting on for years, Taylor said, "So you like him?"

"Ugh!" Gabriella yelled, releasing her confused energy. "Honestly, I don't know, Tay. When girls gush over Troy, I don't get it - all I think is that he's a total goof and fun to hang out with and I trust him. His eyes and all that other stuff, they mean nothing to me. But...I feel different when I'm around him now, I feel like... I get butterflies, Tay," she sighed, throwing her head back as her slender arms wrapped around her stomach. "And I don't know what it means."

"I think you do know," Taylor said, putting an arm over her confused friends shoulder. "You just have to figure out what to do."


	8. Fifteen: Cleareyed and Open

**WOW! This is my longest chapter yet! I really hope you guys like this chapter and please, please, please tell me what you think, I absolutely _love_ getting all your reviews in my inbox, it puts the biggest smile on my face - especially the longer, funny ones! :D**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**I also thought I'd remind everybody that this is an M-rated fic (for language and sexual scenes). It doesn't apply to this chapter but I just thought I'd let everybody know :)**

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Opening the glass door that lead to Gabriella's spacious kitchen, Troy called, "Gabi? Gabi!" When he heard no response, he walked further into the house, pausing to place his gym bag on the breakfast counter. "Ga- Oh, hey, Aunty,"

Maria walked into the kitchen, beaming when she saw Troy and striding over and embracing him. "Hey, sweetie, how are you?"

"I'm good." He smiled. His eyebrows scrunched as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, I didn't think you'd be here today, I thought you were going to that spa…thingy with Mom?"

"I had migraine earlier, so we cancelled. …Uh-oh, have I ruined plans for a wild house party or something?" She asked suspiciously, laughing.

"No, no, you don't have to worry about that."

"I heard you calling for Gabriella, she's just upstairs - probably with those damn headphones in again."

"Ahh, thanks." Troy - not before bumping into a small table that sat by the door - left the kitchen, and once at the foot of the stairs, he called, louder than before, "Hey, Gabi! Come down here!"

After a brief silence, her distant voice replied, "Hold on, I'm coming!"

Shortly after, Gabriella soundlessly ran down the stairs, her light feet making it appear as though she were floating. She stood before Troy, and, suddenly remembering what she was wearing, began to blush. She had been hot earlier in the day and had decided to change out of the sweats she had on, replacing them with a pair of hugging shorts and a baby pink tank top. Both displayed her developing curves and Gabriella suddenly began to feel hot. Ironically, as both families were in the habit of vacationing together, Troy had seen Gabriella in a lot less, but, nevertheless, Gabriella felt shy and exposed.

"So..." Troy began, noticing her strange countenance. "You okay?"

"Huh? Oh...umm...yeah, yeah, I'm cool." She continued down the winding stairs, playing with the strands of her loose ponytail. "So, what's up?" She asked when they were in the kitchen.

"I need your help." He reached for his gym back, undoing the zip and pulling out a handful of shirts, pants and tops. "What should I wear?" He asked.

"Wait, wear for what?"

"Oh, well...uh..." Gabriella's eyebrow quirked suspiciously at Troy's hesitation. "Well...I..." he dropped his head and mumbled shyly, "have a date."

While Gabriella's jaw dropped, and she was silenced, with shock and pain, Maria darted around the counter, hugging Troy tightly. "Oh, Troy, sweetie! I can't believe my little Troy has his first date!" Troy began to blush violently as Maria gushed. "...Oh and we always said you'd be a ladies man...-"

"Wait," Gabriella finally spluttered. "A date with who?" As she spoke she dreaded, and almost didn't want to hear, his answer. As the words left his mouth, her breaths stilled and she felt as though she was going to be sick. Her chin trembled but somehow she managed not to holler out loud, alerting someone to the sharp, excruciating pain she felt stab through her heart. "I thought you didn't even like her." She choked.

Troy, completely oblivious to her tone, smiled proudly and explained, "I never said that I _didn't_, I just wasn't sure. Anyway, I spoke to her properly today and she was kind of funny so... Besides, isn't a first date all about seeing if you like someone?" Gabriella's teeth gritted as her mother concurred. "Anyway, I don't know what to wear, so...will you help me? Please, Gabi."

In her head she screamed, 'no' and refused to help. _How could he be so cruel_, she asked herself, _to ask me to help him dress for HER_? _She doesn't even know him - not like I do!_ But she looked at him, looking so helpless, pleading, and she couldn't find it in herself to refuse - no matter how much she wanted to, she was unable to let that word passed her lips. She spoke, her voice a little above a whisper. "Sure."

Troy's face lit up as though illuminated by a thousand bulbs. "Thank you, Gabs. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I love you." He squeezed her into a tight hug, unaware of her shattering heart.

As Troy and Gabriella pulled the clothes out of the red gym bag, Maria said, "Have you eaten, Troy?"

"Uh...no, not since lunch."

"You kids want some Chinese?" She suggested.

"Sounds good." They both replied, laughing at their synchronicity.

"First off," Gabriella said as she sifted through the selection of clothes. "Black's too serious, so this has to go." She threw the short sleeved black shirt to the side and continued.

"I want to look pretty casual." Troy said, in answer to Gabriella's questioning look as she held a pair of his skater shorts. "I mean, I was only taking her for pizza and some shakes, so I don't it to be over the top."

"Over the top and Sharpay, heaven forbid." She mumbled.

Picking up on her sarcasm, Troy said, "Huh?"

Smiling insincerely, she replied, "I'm just saying, Sharpay's clothes are a little..." she substituted the many words that came to mind - loud, attention-grabbing, garish, flamboyant - for jazz hands. "Maybe she'd appreciate you in some…_glitter _or something." She chided.

"Yeah, well, I _wouldn't_ appreciate me in glitter, so can we get back to clothes I'd actually _wear_?" His tone was firmer than it previously was, having picked up on Gabriella's snide remarks.

"Fine," she said. "But there's casual-casual and date-casual, so, as these couldn't be farther from date-casual, they're joining the black shirt." With that, she tossed the shorts to the side, the worn out denim falling directly on top of the previously discarded shirt.

******

"Are you sure, Gabi? This looks okay?" Troy looked down at himself, uncertainly. Not for a second did he not trust Gabriella, but he just couldn't help but feel that the clothes she'd chosen for him didn't quite match.

"You trust me don't you?" She asked, her hands on her hips.

"You know I do it's just...what do you think, Aunt Maria?"

"Well," Though she wanted to encourage him for his big date, she couldn't lie. She looked at him, his hands alternating between playing with his hair and pulling at his pants, as he stood before her. The blue shirt he wore suited him perfectly - making his eyes stand out - but his baggy combats threw it off. Had they been the right shade of grey it may have worked, but the hue of them wasn't a charcoal grey, it was a grey that didn't look natural; it looked as though it was originally black, but had faded over time. "You kids dress differently to when I was younger." She said, being as honest as she could.

Still unsure, he turned back to his friend. "I'm going to go look in the mirror in your room. Maybe I'll be able to see it clearer in there."

When Troy's footsteps were heard above them, Maria pulled her daughter aside, her voice stern but at the same time warm. With a silent eye she had been watching her daughter since Troy had first made his request, and as he was now out of the room, she decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to speak to her daughter about what she had observed.

"Jealousy's a dark thing, Gabriella. Don't let it take hold."

"What?" Her daughter asked.

"You can't spite Troy, for who he likes,"

"I don't understand what you're talking about."

She paused when she thought she heard Troy, but confident that it was a false alarm, she began once again. "Troy's asked you for your help because he trusts you. Now, you've agreed to give it and I expect you to be the person that I've raised you to be. You've said you'll help him, so, do it properly or don't do it at all, but don't mess him around like this Gabriella, it's not right." She looked earnestly into her daughters eyes.

"I'm not spiting him." Whispered Gabriella.

"You're not?" Gabriella shook her head, and Maria, disappointed, shook hers and sighed. "Tell me that you think Troy looks good in what he has on, that you would be happy to go out with Troy wearing that." Gabriella was mute, and Troy was soon heard bounding down the stairs. Before he entered the room, Maria said in a hushed tone, "It's up to you, sweetheart, you have to do what you think is right."

Gabriella stared at her mother intently, turning her back to her only when Troy began to speak, her mother then exiting the room.

"You know," he said. "I think you're right, it does look good." His smile was wide, but false; it never reached his eyes.

Had it not been for her mother, coupled with Troy's trust, she could've quite happily sent him on his date looking as he did. But she knew it would eat at her to know she had betrayed him. They had promised each other, almost ten years ago, that they would never lie to each other - even if the entire world was populated by deceivers, they would never have to second guess each other. And no matter what her aching heart was saying, her head spoke clearly, honestly, reminding her that it was a promise that she had planned to keep. Her head dropped briefly before she spoke. "I...I think you should try these pants," she said as she handed him a pair of knee-length dark denim shorts.

"But I thought you were happy with this?" Troy asked, confused by her sudden change.

"I thought about it while you were gone and changed my mind. Come on, trust me, this'll look better."

Changing, he looked at himself, already feeling more satisfied with his appearance, standing proudly with his shoulders back.

"Okay, now just..." Gabriella stepped tentatively towards him, undoing the shirt's top button so he didn't look quite as stark. She then raised her hands, trying not to get flustered as his burning eyes penetrated her own, and slowly brushed his limp, walnut-coloured strands of hair from his eyes. Clearing her throat nervously, she eventually let her hand fall to her side and stepped back, admiring her work.

"So, you promise it looks good?" Troy smiled apprehensively.

Gabriella nodded in silence, for the first time since he had come, speaking completely honestly. "Yeah. ...Make sure you keep your hair out of your eyes, though. The shirt really makes them stand out," she had chosen a light blue shirt for him, noticing the way the lighter tone made his eyes pop. "So there's no point in you not being able to see them. Do that and...you'll look great." Her smile faded slightly as it hit her once again that this was not for her, but for someone who was, for all intense and purposes, a stranger to them both.

Maria stepped in, having answered the door to the young delivery boy. As she stepped in to alert them of the deliverance of their dinner she said, "Oh, Troy, look at you!"

Troy beamed. "Gabi decided to change the pants."

Smiling at her daughter, nodding with pride, she held up the bag and said, "Anyway, the Chinese is here, so you better change, Troy." Rolling her eyes jokingly at Troy's willingness to strip off and parade his young muscles, Maria headed off into the living-room, followed by the two teens.

******

Her folded blue tank top left Gabriella's stomach exposed as she patted in, sighing in satisfaction at her recently acquired meal. "It can't be right to eat that. I mean, _God_ I love banana fritters, but all that syrup...it feels so wrong."

Troy laughed at the sight of his friend, her body laid flat out on the floor, the empty takeaway boxes perched by her feet. "You know what they say, Gabs, if that's wrong then I don't want to be right." Gabriella burst into a fit off giggles and, clutching her stomach, lifted a sluggish hand to high-five Troy.

******

Troy and Gabriella sniggered as, once again, they both began speaking at the same time, the incident dispersing the awkward atmosphere of moments before. Troy, departing from the Montez house with a date outfit and numerous tips from Ms. Montez, smiled affectionately at Gabriella.

"Thanks, Gabi, for helping me today." He said. "I know it might've been a little weird but...I didn't know who else to ask and I was kind of freaking out trying to figure all this out by myself. I mean, I have a date!" His voice rose a little and he laughed at the exclamation. "And I haven't a _clue_ what to do. I mean, before was different, y'know? We'd all go out as a group and it wouldn't be anything serious, just friends hanging, kind of on a date. But tomorrow, it'll all be up to mean and I'm really scared I'm gonna screw up, so, you helping me...it meant a lot."

"Well, I'm always here, you know that."

Nodding, Troy laughed and said, "The second you like some guy, you can come to me and I'll give you tons of tips on how to get him to like you," Gabriella chuckled, not at the offer, but at the irony, before Troy added, "not that you'll need it - he'd be crazy not to like you."

_Or completely obtuse_, she said to herself. "Well...uh...good luck for tomorrow,"

"Thanks. I'll call you when I get back. ...G'night. Thanks again."

"Night, Wildcat."

With Troy gone, Gabriella walked to the kitchen, poking her head around the door and saying to her mother, "I'm kind of tired, I'm going to head upstairs."

She had never been a convincing liar - her eyes always gave her away. Her mother wanted nothing more than anything to cradle her daughter in her arms tell it would all pass, but, remembering how sensitive a subject it was (remembering her first heartbreak), she said nothing of the issue directly. "I'm proud of what you did today, Gabi, really proud." Gabriella attempted to smile, but could not create anything more than a twitch of her lips. "You okay?" Maria asked.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Gabriella responded, leaving abruptly, and ascending quickly up the stairs and into her room, where she reached immediately for her mobile. Though her tears blurred the object in hand, she managed to dial, pressing the phone securely to her right ear, hoping, _praying_,for an answer.

"Hey, Gabriella." Taylor's jovial greeting followed the ringing that Gabriella heard.

"Tay," she choked, her sobs overwhelming her.

******

As of yet, not much could be said about their date. They had met outside the mall and after an uncomfortable greeting (on Troy's side at least), they headed inside. They were now in the Pizza Shack, seated in a curved red sofa-booth, awaiting the waiter. Not a word had been passed between them since they were shown to their table, and Troy found his eyes languorously dancing over their fellow diners, finding humour at the back of the restaurant, where a young guy, perhaps a year older than himself, yelled at a gaming machine.

"Hey, you want to play a game?" He asked Sharpay.

"A game?" She replied, a little shocked; games were for kids. "Umm...sure, Troy."

Rubbing his palms together, Troy smiled as he dipped his head closer to Sharpay's. "Okay, you see that guy at the back?" Sharpay turned and after scanning over the restaurant quickly, finding the object of the game, she nodded. "Alright, well - I always play this with Gabriella, it's tons of fun - we have to make up things about his character that go with his appearance." He smiled up at Sharpay, but seeing she was in complete confusion, said, "Look, I'll show you. First, you have to go by what you can see; it's 2pm on a Saturday afternoon and he's here on his own, playing, and yelling, at a gaming machine. So, that's your base - your blank canvass as Gabriella would call it," he explained with a smile. "And now - to use more of Gabi's terminology - you have to add some colour. Let's see...he's single 'cuz he's here alone, junior in high school, not a jock 'cuz he's too skinny and the way he's staring at that game, _real_ intense, says that he knows computers. So… I'm saying he's a computer nerd, called...let's think of something drippy...Arnold." He smiled at his accomplished analysis, thinking that Gabriella would be impressed. "So, you get it, want to have a go? You can pick anyone." He said, finally feeling confident.

"Troy, I'm sure it really is _tons_ of fun, but I don't think it's my kind of game."

His smile dropped and he glanced down dejectedly at the napkin that lay across his lap. "Uh...never mind...I guess it's not for everyone."

It soon became apparent to Troy that Sharpay had no interest in sports as she had told him, but was all about drama. She rambled unstoppably about the various productions she had starred in - making sure Troy knew that she had never played anything other than a lead. Troy, having thankfully perfected the art of tuning out after five minutes of Sharpay's mind-numbing twittering, had managed to completely block her out, occasionally nodding or saying, 'Oh, really?', so she was none the wiser.

******

Meanwhile, Lucille and Maria were sat at the kitchen counter, sipping at a glass of red wine, laughing.

"…No way, that didn't happen!" Maria hooted.

"I'm telling you! And you know what men are like - especially Jack - they always think it's a reflection on _them_ if they have to ask for directions. Then, when he finally admitted that we _were_ lost and said I could ask for directions, he actually made me switch seats so nobody would know he was the one driving!"

"Oh, you remember how bad Al was? We'd be driving for _hours_ before he would ask anybody for help. 'So some guy can think I can't handle my business?', he'd say." Maria rolled her eyes at the fragile male ego. It had taken her a while to be able to reference Alejandro and not have a lump form in her throat or have to excuse herself from the room, but she had finally gotten to a place where speaking of her husband felt comforting, made her feel warm inside and found great joy in telling Gabriella stories of him - tales she would have been perhaps too young to remember - keeping his spirit alive.

"God, the two of them together was even worse. Do you remember that time when we- Gabi!" She exclaimed, as Gabriella strode into the room.

Walking over to hug Lucille, Gabriella said, her voice somewhat hollow, "I didn't realise you were here, I would've come and said hello."

"Ahh, that music of yours probably blocked it out." It was only as Gabriella entered the room that Lucille became aware of the music blaring from upstairs and as the three of them spoke briefly, she noticed that it was the same two tracks playing on repeat - Taylor Swift's _You Belong With Me_ and _You Don't Know My name _by Alicia Keys.

Lucille began asking Gabriella about school and friends - Gabriella giving unenthusiastic answers to each. Having planned to spend the day wallowing in self-pity, indulging the pain that her non-existent love life inflicted upon her, Lucille proudly congratulating her on her high test marks really didn't fit in with that agenda.

After a concise conversation, Gabriella departed, taking with her a full tub of Ben & Jerry's Cookie Dough Ice Cream and a large bar of chocolate.

Certain Gabriella was now upstairs and out of ear-shot, Lucille turned to Maria, her voice low. "Ice Cream, chocolate _and_ a heart-break soundtrack?" She said. "Is she okay?"

"Boy troubles." Maria sighed. "You want to hug her and tell her that everyone goes through it and that it'll get better, but first she actually has to admit it. She hasn't told me that's what the problem is - typical teenager thinking they're being ever so subtle - but I know that's what it is."

"God, can you believe everything's happening so quickly? It seems like just yesterday the two of them were trying to climb out of Gabi's playpen." She smiled reflectively, her mind going back to the days when the two of them were in nothing but their diapers, crawling around the house. "And now, Gabi's having boy drama and Troy's on his first date. Where does that time go?" She asked, shaking her head.

******

Eventually, when Troy thought he could take no more, a tall blonde male appeared beside them. Typical for the Saturday staff at the Pizza Shack, he was young, still in high school. He smiled brightly, but his slumped shoulders, and he ran an exhausted, long-fingered hand through his curly hair, giving away his tiredness. "Welcome to Pizza Shack," he recited robotically. "I'm, Ed, your waiter. What can I get for you today?"

Troy perked up at the mere idea of food and said to Sharpay, "I was thinking that maybe it'd be cool to get a large to share. I don't know what toppings you like but they do half-and-half here so..."

Sharpay's lips drew back in disgust as she raised her hands as though she had just witnessed something nauseating. "I," she said slowly. "Do _not_ eat pizza. Do you have any idea how many calories, grams of saturated fat, and sugar, there is in one of those things? No, thanks. I'll have...a Caesar Salad please, with grilled chicken breast - hold the tomatoes and light on the mayo - that stuff is _so _fattening." Slamming her menu shut, she handed it, without making eye-contact, to the waiter, who chuckled at her disregard.

"In that case...I'll have a twelve inch meat supreme with extra pepperoni, please." He smiled, satisfied with his order.

"Cool," he replied, now addressing Troy only. "Can I get you a drink?"

"Uh... I'll take a chocolate and banana shake."

Jotting the addition down, it was with distain that he turned to Sharpay.

"I'll have a multi-vitamin milkshake."

Laughing, the waiter replied. "Unfortunately, we only have, strawberry, mango, chocolate, banana or a combo shake. We don't do multi-vitamin."

"You do fruit salads for dessert, don't you?" She asked with an unnecessarily clipped tone. "What do you find it fruits, Ed? Vitamins! So, get some fruit, throw it in a blender and get me my shake." Their eyes fixed and Troy grew red with embarrassment as the occupants of nearby tables were now staring, intrigued by Sharpay's raised voice.

"You know what?" Ed, said, with a sneer in his low voice. "I'll see what I can do." He slipped his order pad into his apron and made his way to the kitchen, where, though he didn't dare to take his eyes of the table, Troy could feel his burning gaze upon them.

They ate practically in silence, Troy ignoring each of Sharpay's judgemental glances, that were shot at him with each bite of pizza he took and each sip of his shake, until Sharpay's phone began, first to vibrate, and then to blurt out a high-pitched ring.

Troy at first paid no attention to her on-going conversation, but when she began to breathe heavily and exclaim, he realised something was dreadfully wrong.

"Oh, no. Ryan, don't say that, please don't say that." She repeated with growing anxiety. Finally, she ended the call with promise to immediately return home.

Her face was pale, every drop of blood having seemingly drained. Troy, worried, asked, "Is everything okay at home, is it your family?"

Fanning herself, visibly flustered, she replied, close to tears, "The outfits." Troy's face contorted in confusion at her statement, and he began wondering if the shock of what ever had happened had left her confused. But then she continued, and he was left in bemusement. "They're the wrong colour. How could they? I _specified_, I double-checked and now it's all...ruined!" She choked, biting her lip to withhold her tears.

"Your costumes got messed up, _that's__it_?" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had prepared himself for finding out that there had been a tragic accident involving her family or at the very least a pet had died, but this? This was it for him, the decider.

"What do you mean, is that it? Do you not get how tragic, distressing and harrowing this is?" Whenever Sharpay was outraged, she would always use three words or examples to express her shock. "Clearly _you_ don't get it, Troy Bolton. But I, somebody who cares about the arts, have to leave now. I hope you will forgive me for my departure."Before Troy, who was trying to think of something to say that wouldn't display his true emotions, had a second to reply, Sharpay had pulled out her white heart-covered mobile, hit a single key and said, "Humphrey, I need a car - immediately. Yes, I'm at the mall." She stood, once again bade goodbye and left, leaving Troy slumped into the sofa, groaning, with his hands over his eyes.

"Look like you've had a tough day," Laughed a voice. "Your girlfriend been on your back?"

Uncovering his eyes, Troy looked up to see, Ed, who had began to clear away Sharpay's dishes and had placed on the table the tray with the bill. "Girlfriend?" Troy repeated with shock. "No, No way. This was just...first date. ...Last date." He clarified.

"What's wrong with us guys, ay? Always go for the pretty one." When Troy indicated that he was finished with his shake, Ed added it onto his tray and proceeded to wipe clean the table.

"This whole dating things new to me. To be honest, I don't even know if I liked her. She was coming on to me and my friends were telling me to go for it and...somewhere along the line, what I felt got lost."

"Don't worry about it. Every guy goes through that with at least _one_ girl before he hits senior year." He laughed.

"Man, I'm sorry about that whole...milkshake thing."

"Eh, I can handle those prissy little rich kids, they always think they can boss you about. You get immune after a while, though." He replied as Troy glanced at the bill, pulled out his wallet and lay three bills onto the tray.

As Troy pulled on his jacket, he smiled at Ed and said, "Keep the change."

"Yeah? Sweet. Thanks bro." He beamed, bumping Troy's extended fist.

******

Still laughing at an anecdote that Maria had told, Lucille walked towards the door or her best friends' house, on her way to answer it. As it whooshed open, along with a gust of wind, surprise hit her as she saw her son standing in front of her.

"Mom, what are you doing here?" Troy asked, equally shocked (though considering the amount of time the two families spent together, he shouldn't have been).

"Seeing as _I'm_ the parent," Lucille said. "And you are the one that left the house this afternoon saying you had a date, I could ask you the same question."

"Oh, yeah...that uh...that didn't work out so well, so I came to see, Gabriella, I got her something." He lifted up a small bag for his mother to see.

Smiling, she stepped aside so he was able to enter, while saying to him, "You're just in time, we made some burgers, we're just about to start frying.

When Troy walked into the kitchen ahead of Lucille, Gabriella looked up in astonishment. "You're back already? What happened?" She asked, aware that their was a little too much pep in her voice, but unable to kill her growing hope.

"It didn't go well." He stated, shrugging and throwing a quick, but loving, greeting at Maria. "Anyway," his quick change of subject told Gabriella that, understandably, he'd rather not discuss his date in front of their mothers, so she left him to continue, knowing that the second they were alone, she would get all the details. "I was leaving the mall and saw this." He handed her a small red bag, which she excepted gleefully. "I thought you'd like it."

She placed the bag on the counter and giggling with anticipation, dipped her hand inside the bag. Her eyes widened as she stared down at a small brown bear wearing a red polo-neck jumper. "Oh my God, Troy, it's adorable, it's so cute. I love him, thank you." She sighed as she wrapped her arms around him in a hug.

"You're welcome."

"You know," Maria interjected. "He looks just like that little bear you had when you were younger, Gabi. What did you call him?" She asked, wracking her brain.

"Snuggles," Troy supplied. "That's why I got it, it reminded of him."

"You remember Snuggles?" Gabriella asked softly, touched by the thought.

"Yeah, of course I do. That bear meant the world to you, I'd never forget how torn up you were when you lost him that summer. I mean, I know this won't replace him but... And red's your favourite colour so..." He smiled.

"I really do love it, Troy. I'm going to call him..." she began, hugging the bear closely. "Wildcat."

"Whoa. What? Gabi, no. You can't call a _Bear_ 'Wildcat',"

"Why not?"

"Because it'll confuse him!" Troy said as though it were obvious. "It's like calling a Bunny, 'Flipper', or a Dog, 'Kitty'. You can't do that, Gabs."

In the background, as they flipped another frying burger, Maria and Lucille laughed at the sparring teens.

With her head cocked to the side and her eyes glinting deviously, Gabriella said, with all the innocence she could muster, "Would you rather I called it, 'Troy'?"

As much as he hated Gabriella's knack at beating him in arguments, he did like the way she went about it. She'd always give him two options, the one she really wanted (the one she was ultimately going to get) and one that she knew he would despise even more than the original that she presented as her compromise. Knowing when to give up, Troy didn't bother speak and just narrowed his eyes, glaring at her.

"Wildcat it is!" She clapped, with a cheeky, victorious smile.

Watching Troy and Gabriella layer their burgers with salad and sauce, Lucille chuckled, shook her head and said, "Why don't the two of you eat upstairs, Gabriella? That way, Troy can give you all the gory details of his date. Right now he looks as though he's about to combust and I'm afraid for him."

The red blush as Troy followed a giggling Gabriella upstairs, travelled from the tips of his fingers, up his arms and over his entire face as he wondered whether his remaining teen years would involve being embarrassed by his parents.

A warm breeze, as Gabriella had left her balcony doors open, swirled through Gabriella's room, greeting them as they entered. Falling into a routine they had adopted many springs ago, Troy and Gabriella walked out onto the balcony, closing the doors behind them so, whilst their legs stretched out ahead of them, making use of the concrete area, their backs were supported by the glass.

Taking the first bite of her juicy burger, the salad crunching as her teeth sunk into it, Gabriella turned to Troy. "Go on then. What happened - why are you back so early?" She asked eagerly.

"Sharpay's brother called, said there was some mistake with these drama costumes they ordered so she ran off. Apparently they're '_Ocean_ Blue' instead of '_Lagoon_ Blue'." He explained, his deep blue eyes rolling at the mere reminder. "To be honest, I was so happy when she ditched. It was killing me, Gabs."

"You still haven't told me what happened, what went wrong."

Troy exhaled deeply, setting his already half-eaten burger down for a moment. "The girl's a freakin' whack-job, Gabi! She's seriously crazy." He went on to explain to an astonished Gabriella the details of the date; from her dismissal of the game to the cold, insolent way she treated the waiter, Gabriella sharing his outrage and embarrassment. "And you know what was the worst thing?" He answered before Gabriella had even taken a breath to respond, his fury getting the better of him. "She doesn't eat!"

"What do you mean, she doesn't eat?" Gabriella asked, confused.

"Well, I told her how I thought it'd be cool if we shared a large, right? She told me, with this repulsed look on her face, that she didn't eat pizza, and started lecturing me on the fat and salt and the high content of all this other crap. So, get this, she orders a salad - a salad at the _Pizza _Shack - and every time she took a forkful, she would get out this mirror and fix her lip gloss! How can you enjoy food like that!? I can date a girl that doesn't eat, Gabriella!" He cried, his finger jabbing in his chest. "I need a girl that could murder a burger." As if on cue, Gabriella took another chuck of her burger, and Troy chuckled. "I need a girl like you." He stated.

It was as his spoken words lingered in the sweet air, dancing with the fallen leaves and night-time flies, that he was hit by the truth of them. He paused in deep contemplation, his head inclined to the left as he wondered how he could have possibly missed it. There she was, Gabriella, who he had known since birth, his first friend in the world, and she was everything Sharpay wasn't - everything _every_ girl wasn't. He had shared everything with her; his beds, toys, deepest secrets and yet he had failed to see it. He had let the magnificence of her beauty - the sparkle of her eyes, the brightness of her smile - pass him by, had ignored that slight flutter in the pit of his stomach whenever her laugh, as sweet as honey, gently touched his ears. It was as if someone had suddenly turned the volume down in his life, allowing him for the first time to see clearly. Gabriella was sitting in front of him, her lips moving but no sound coming out. She didn't realise he wasn't listening. Instead, he smiled to himself slightly. It was just like in all the books and movies. He was the star that would find love and as the scene would slow they would show his dream of the happy couple strolling along a beach, thrashing in waves, kissing happily; the pace of his beating heart picked up and every now and then would flutter, his stomach seemed incapable of remaining still and his palms were clammy, quivering ever so slightly. He thought to himself that one day he would tell her that it was real, that all those movies that they had watched together, that Troy had ridiculed for there lack of realism, actually had some truth in them. Sitting only inches away from him, picking a fallen lettuce leaf from her plate and lowering it into her mouth, she had always been there - like the Mary Jane to his Peter Parker - standing in his doorway. They must've known, he thought, the writers, directors and producers. They must've been in his position years before, feeling sick to the pit of their stomach, terrified about the outcome of their emotions, just like he was now. He was convinced that at any moment he'd throw up, emptying his lunch onto Gabriella's balcony, his stomach was turning so much. But it was okay, Troy told himself, because he was in love.

******

Grasping for breaths, his lungs screamed for oxygen, feeling like they had been bound with a leather belt. His body burned as though he stood on a pit of fired white coals. He screamed for mercy. He screamed for her.

"Gabi!" He yelled into the darkness. Somewhere (far it seemed), he could hear the faint sounds of her trembling breaths, unable to respond. "_PLEASE!"_ He didn't know who the scream for - whether it was to Gabriella who he was urging to speak or to a higher power that would end his torture. "Please," he begged once again, the power drained from his voice as something washed over him, leaving his body frail, fatigued.

"Troy-" He heard Gabriella whisper.

Panting wildly, Troy awoke. His heart was keeping a rhythm like that of a high school marching band, applauding a victory. His hands were clammy, shaking, the cooling sweat that had gathered on his chest, causing his grey shirt to stick to his body like a leech, craving blood. As his breathing gradually calmed, he pushed the bulky comforter of his body, allowing the crisp air to circulate around him. He drew his legs apart, pulling them back so his arms were able to rest on his knees, his head, once he had sluggishly raised his body, slumped between them. Closing his eyes, he replayed the vivid images of his dream; the heat, the passion. Like a fragmented puzzle, he pieced the sequence together, his eyes drifting open in realization. Suddenly, he became conscious of the restrained throb between his legs and in the stream of fresh, early morning sun that filtered through his curtains, saw his black boxers, blemished with a white liquid, glistening.

"…Oh…shit." He said as he ran his hands through his matted bed-hair, shaking his head in disbelief. The moistness of his underpants becoming unbearable, Troy climbed cautiously from his bed. Once at his bedroom door he quietly slipped it open. Wanting to avoid the humiliation (that would undoubtedly lead to, yet another, awkward conversation), he stuck his head through the small gap he had made, peered both sides for his parents and then, when confident the coast was clear, walked briskly down the hall, into the bathroom.

In the clear light of the bathroom, he stared down at himself - his shock yet to alleviate - as he got his head around his dream. He'd been careful to lock the bathroom door behind him when he'd first entered, so, quickly turning on the tap, he climbed into the hot shower and let the steaming water beat softly down on him.

******

Upon exiting the shower, Troy heard the distinctive ring of his phone. He grabbed the closest towel, fixing it securely around the waist of his still wet body, and dashed across the hall. Diving across his bed, he smiled triumphantly as he pressed the phone, just in time, to his ear, answering the call.

"Yo!" He said, as he adjusted his position so he was no longer strewn across his double bed.

"Hoops!" Answered Chad. "'Sup, man, how'd it go yesterday? I tried to call yesterday but my mom was on this thing about how I'd ran up a hundred dollar bill on my cell and how I can't keep expecting her and dad to pay that each month cuz _apparently_ my last two bills were pretty high, and blah, blah, _blah_…So, anyway, I told her that she didn't need to worry and that I'd go out and have a job before the month was out - that's why I'm calling so early, I'm off job-hunting…" Abruptly aware that he'd manage to make the phone call about him, he got back on track, saying, "So, how did it go?"

"Honestly? …It sucked," Troy said without a trace of self-consciousness.

"Dude, what happened? She was so into you."

"Yeah, I know. But me and Sharpay…that just wasn't meant to happen - we don't have anything in common." As he spoke, he bent his down, pulling his towel up slightly and ,with the absorbent material, began drying his dripping hair.

"Ahh…Sorry that didn't work out, man.""Don't be. I'm not." He shrugged as he stood from his bed and began pacing around his room energetically.

"Huh?"

"You see, my mom's always said to me 'Nothing in life is unexplained, everything happens for a reason'. Dude, I think she might me right about that." He said, grinning uncontrollably. "I think she's right. All these things that happen, you don't always get them straight away or know why they're happening, but, dude, eventually," He said. "Just wait!" He added with extra zeal as he remembered the epiphany of the night before. "It will all fall into place, Chad, all of it!"

"What the _hell_ are you talking about?" Chad asked, utterly perplexed.

Troy chuckled lightly as his feet slowed and he found himself standing in front of a picture of himself and Gabriella. It had been taken a year ago on their annual trip to California, visiting Gabriella's grandparents. He laughed at how differently he had felt back then as he stared at the two of them, sitting on the edge of her grandparents' pool, their heads together, smiling. "Nothing, man." He said, dreamily as his finger traced the outline of Gabriella's soft face. "Nothing."

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**So, did you like? Did you hate? Let me know :lol:**

**Loads of you sent reviews and PMs begging me not to let Troy get with Sharpay, but you see, he had to go on the date with Sharpay to see what he was missing with Gabriella - but it all worked out and the world of Troyella continues to spin :)**

**That little _dream_ of Troy's was a gift that I promised to Celestiallove56 for her awesome reviews that have been coming in right from the beginning - hope you enjoyed it!!**

**REVIEW!!**


	9. Sixteen:Time to Jump

**I hope you guys like this chapter, I know I do! Pfft! I'm not biased! lol**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

**_Sail Away With Me_ by David Gray**

**ENJOY!!!**

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The burning sun in his eyes, Troy squinted as he inched through the school parking lot, squeezing his spluttering truck past the gleaming black and silver cars of the rich students and the beat-up cars (many in a similar state to his) of his fellow students, may of whom had scrimmaged money from part-time jobs to buy their first car, or had had an older siblings' car handed down to them. Though Troy's car was, appearance wise, nothing to boast about, it bought him immense pleasure and pride. Not only did it give him the freedom that every sixteen year old dreamt of - as he no longer had determine his trips on whether his parents would drop him - but it was also the fact that it was his own frustration, sweat but most of all love, that been had poured into the engine, fuel pump, and breaks. Every time the truck would lurch to a stop, he would refrain from cursing, remembering the endless hours he and his dad had spent over it, laughing, disagreeing, admiring their work - bonding as father and son should.

He soon found a spot, and once snugly parked, he turned off the engine and smiled inwardly as Gabriella's delicate hand stretched forward and switched of the radio.

"Thanks." He said.

"Sure." Her reply was short, and though she had meant nothing by it, it cut Troy none the less. Conversation had been scarce that morning; none of the usual banter or teasing remarks, just silence and the occasional strained attempt at small talk; _"You have after school basketball practice today?" "Nope. How did that math homework go?" "Good."._

Over the last year, he had marvelled at the way Gabriella could make him feel. His dad had always told him that he could do anything if he really tried, and to a certain extent it was true. He could play in front of a gym of a thousand, speak to scouts from the best colleges in the country and not miss a beat, but somehow, when it came to asking Gabriella that simple question, he just couldn't do it - and it _wasn't_ for lack of trying.

"Well, thanks, Troy…for the ride." Gabriella said with a small smile. After a short pause - she found herself reluctant to part with Troy, hopeful, perhaps, that she would hear the words she had dreamt of him saying for so long - she reached for the door handle, about to hop out of his rusty truck.

"Hey, Gabi?" Troy suddenly said. The spurt of courage that had just hit him made him grab her soft hand in his, but he soon let go - misreading Gabriella's flinch as one of discomfort. She had turned back towards him, her eyes slightly wide, expectant.

"Yeah?" Her voice quivered slightly but she tried not to let her nerves show, telling herself to hold eye-contact - not that it was hard to get lost in his magnetic, blue orbs. They were like mini whirl pools; their entrancing power hypnotic.

"Ummm…" distracted by the cheerful buzz that was filtering through his car window, he paused and wound it up until all he could hear was the faint chatter, fighting to come in. "Yeah, so…I was…do you think…"

At first it was a soft vibration, easy to ignore, but soon enough Gabriella's quirky ring tone followed: _"Girl you know to answer this call"._ It sounded over and over, the two of them looking at each other with stilled breaths, both unsure what route Gabriella was going to take. It wasn't that she particularly cared who was calling at that moment, she just desperately wanted to hear what Troy had to say, and as the person on the other side was clearly a persistent caller, she decided that the quickest way to get back to Troy, was to deal with the nuisance phone call. With an apologetic glance at Troy, she dipped her hand into her flowered bag, fished around briefly and retrieved her cell.

"Hello?" Whereas she would usually attempt to mask the annoyance in her voice, she didn't bother at that moment, hoping the person would feel guilt-ridden at the knowledge that they had spoiled what could've potentially have been a life-altering moment.

"Where _are_ you?" Taylor questioned. "I have major news!"

"Umm…I'm still with Troy," she put a subtle emphasis on Troy's name in attempt to alert Taylor to her bad timing. "We're in the parking lot."

"Well, get here fast I need to tell you something."

Gabriella sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'll be right there…yes…alright…_yes_ I'll be fast." She flipped her phone closed forcefully, her cell making a snapping sound as the two parts connected.

"Sounded urgent," Troy said. So tightly he had gripped his steering wheel in anger, that he could feel the rubber working it's way under his nails, having been punctured.

"Yeah…I better…" she tilted her head towards the car door. "Go."

"Right." He watched her climb out, the deep purple loose-fitting top she was wearing, billowing around her, weave through the parked cars into the distance, until she had merged with all the other pupils and had just become a bobbing head in the crowd. "UGH!" He exclaimed, his head bashing his seat's head rest in anger. He breathed deeply trying to soothe himself, his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to blocked surroundings. He remained like this for a few minutes more, coming out of his cocoon only when he heard a tap on his truck window.

*****

"_Where_ have you been? Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting for you?" Taylor said, perching her sunglasses on the top of her head as Gabriella walked towards her.

"Sorry, Mother." Gabriella replied, rolling her eyes. "What's this big thing you want to tell me anyway?" They were walking side-by-side now, their linked arms aiding them in the battle to stay together in the crowd.

"Troy hasn't asked anyone yet," Taylor revealed. Her bright smile soon turned to a look of shock as a basketball skimmed over her, just missing her head. "HEY!" She yelled, as she saw the culprit was Jason, a fellow team-mate of Troy and Chad's.

"Sorry!" He called back sheepishly, pulling his baseball cap over his eyes, attempting to hide his shame.

"Back to what I was saying," Taylor recommenced. "The dance is in what? A week and a half. Troy still hasn't asked anyone yet, Gabi, I think this is it."

Gabriella sighed. "Taylor, I can't do this anymore. We've been doing this for the last year - every group-date, every post or pre game party, every _single_ school dance. But, y'know, maybe it just isn't going to happen. Troy doesn't see me that way and that's it. I can't keep holding on for this…miracle, I just have to let it go." They had paused while she had been talking, all the hope she had been riding on for the last year drained from here body, but now she had said her piece, her feet started moving again.

It didn't take long for Taylor to attempt to get her spirits back up. "What do you mean it isn't going to happen? You're wrong, Gabriella, I can feel it.""No, Taylor, I'm _not_ wrong. I know, Troy, okay? Better than anyone. If he liked me, I'd be able to tell."

"You just aren't tuned to know what signals to pick up, that's all." Taylor stopped her, looking deep into her eyes. "Your spirits are down, I get that, it's totally understandable. All you need is some dress shopping to get you back in the mood and ready for the dance."

"I don't even think I'm going."

The conversation paused as somebody came beside them, putting their name on a sign-up sheet that had been taped to the corridor, just above Gabriella and Taylor's head. Once again, alone, Taylor stared at her friend, incredulously. "Nah-uh, girl. You are not missing out on this dance - even if Troy doesn't ask you.""Taylor-" Gabriella was about to plead with her friend to drop the subject, but Taylor wasn't having it.

Her voice was more sympathetic now, showing Gabriella that she really just wanted to cheer her up. "You'll have a good time, you know you will. …Look, just don't make any final decisions until tonight, okay? Looking at the dresses will put you in a better mood." She raised her eyebrows, waiting for Gabriella to concede.

"Fine," she mumbled. "But I have chores, so we have to go the second school's out.""Eeep!" Taylor clapped. "I promise, Gabi, you won't regret this."

"I better not." She sulked, as they headed towards homeroom.

******

On the other side of the school, Chad was engaging in the same conversation with a dejected Troy, who was sat against the hood of his car.

"Maybe, I'm not supposed to ask her. Maybe it's like… divine intervention." He glanced at Chad who was giving him a look that said one thing: _whatever_. "Dude, I'm being serious. You hear about that happening, right? Maybe, me and Gabi going out would be a disaster, and we'd hate each other and our friendship would be forever ruined. So, the universe is trying to protect us and that's why every time I try to ask her we get interrupted. Don't you think it's weird that for what, like the last nine/ten months, people have interrupted us?"

Chad simply laughed. "Or _maybe,_ just hear me out, maybe the only problem is that you keep punkin' out. You've got to put yourself on the line, man." As Chad spoke, he kept a steady rhythm as he bounced his ball on the hot concrete. "Listen, I know how much you like her and I get that you're probably a little scared, but, dude, Gabriella's pretty and she's smart, and soon enough some other guy's going to realise that and step in. When that happens you're gonna feel like complete shit, so, if I were you," he swiftly stopped the bouncing of the ball and before Troy knew it, he was spinning it effortlessly on his middle finger. "I'd go get my girl."

Troy knew Chad was right, but he hated to acknowledge the fact that each day, he was getting closer to missing his chance. They remained in the lot - Troy laying on top of his hood, his head resting on the glass, cushioned by this crossed arms, Chad having short conversations with each of his friends that passed, using his array of ball tricks to impress passing girls - until the bell rang.

They got into class just in time and Troy settled in his seat. Gabriella was standing at the front of the class, her back to them as she had a quiet discussion with Ms. Darbus. In her dark, skinny jeans, Gabriella was on full display. Troy took full advantage of the view, his eyes glazing over as they lingered on her pert bottom. He wondered what it would be like to wrap his arms around her in a gesture that was more than a friendly hug, to kiss her somewhere other than her cheek, instead on her plump pink lips (their shape one that he'd memorized time and again), her soft neck, her collarbone.

His head was pushed forward by an unknown force that shook him from his daydream. As he rubbed the back of his head, he turned to see Chad behind him, rolling his eyes. He then realised that it had been Chad's ball that had hit him, the nude rubber making his neck sting.

"I had to stop you, dude," Chad said, unapologetically. "You were totally checking her out, I couldn't let you get caught perving on her." He ignored Troy's scowl and simply smiled, as if Troy had thanked him for having his back. "Don't worry about it, no need to thank me."

******

Troy casually paced outside the library, waiting for the emergence of Gabriella. He'd been out there for about ten minutes, smiling coolly at those who passed him, ignoring the suspicious looks that were given to him. Finally, as he peeped through the glass window, he saw Gabriella headed his way and he ran to the end of the corridor. As the library door whooshed open, he called out, "Gabi! Hey," He tried his best to make it seem like a coincidence that he had chosen to spend his free period walking passed the library, but Gabriella wasn't buying it.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, I was - here, let me take those -" chivalrously, he took from her the stack of books that she had been hauling. "Yeah, I was just…y'know…passing…""Yeah right," she laughed disbelievingly. "What are you _really_ doing here?"

Troy blushed. "Okay…well…you want to go up to the roof?" He asked, buying himself a few moments more.

"I can't," Gabriella replied. "Mr. Johnson wanted me to go see him about that history project and…" she trailed off as they turned a corner passed several empty class rooms and few busy common rooms.

"After school?" He asked hopefully.

"Taylor wanted to go look at dresses for the dance, I said I'd go with her." She avoided his eyes as she was talking, somehow getting the feeling that she was letting him down. "What's up, anyway?" She asked, cheerily, trying to restore the previous atmosphere.

"Ahh…nothing…" he lied. "I just…we haven't hung out for a couple days, y'know? So I thought we could today…that's all." He tried his best to remain steady. If he was going to answer he would do it right, he'd told himself, so he wasn't about to blurt it out in the middle of the school hall.

"Well…tomorrow?" She asked.

"Sure."

"I better go…c'ya."Troy nodded, watching her as she briskly walked, his chance disappearing with her.

******

As Troy pulled his basketball jersey over his head, he jumped slightly, believing he was the last guy in the changing room, as a voice came from behind him. He turned to see Tommy Cooper, smiling at him.

Tommy Cooper had transferred to East High three months ago, his impressive basketball skills immediately earning him a spot on the team. He was quite tall, Tommy, his jet black hair, and white smile making him an instant hit with the girls. It wasn't just the looks that Tommy had. He had been raised by his grandmother since the age of two, and had been bought up (along with his two sisters) with impeccable manners and a high level of regard for females. Having grown up on a farm in Nashville, he'd been dubbed the 'Southern Gentleman' by the East High girls who swooned at his accent and conduct whenever he'd tip his head and call them 'Miss'.

"Oh, hey, Coop, 'sup?" Troy said.

"Hey, dude. There was somethin' I wanted to talk to you about." Troy nodded, telling him to proceed. "'Bout you and Gabriella," he began. At this stage, Troy's eyebrows furrowed slightly, intrigued. "You guys aren't together, right? Would you find it weird if I asked her to the dance next week?"

Troy froze in shock.

"Dude?" Tommy waved a hand in front of Troy's face.

"My Gabriella?" Troy stuttered.

"Yeah, I think she's real cute," Tommy smiled as he shifted his weight to his right foot, leaning against one of the lockers.

"I…the thing is…Tommy…" How was he to go about this? If he told Tommy not to go there, it'd make it back to Gabriella before basketball practice was over (such was the speed that gossip spread), and he couldn't have Gabriella suspect anything before he could speak to her. "You're cool, Tommy and-""Bolton! Cooper!" Jack's palm slammed into one of the metal lockers. "Is this free period or basketball practice!?" It was clear by his tone that he hadn't expected an answer so they both stood in silence. "What are you waiting for!? Get in the gym!" He stepped aside, blowing his whistle as they ran passed him, through the door and out of the locker rooms. He began walking behind them, shaking his head. "Kids." He mumbled to himself.

******

Troy groaned as he, for the third time, got tangled in the sleeves of his red and white baseball top. Frustrated, he pulled it over his head, getting ready to attempt again.

"It's seriously painful to watch you, dude," Chad laughed, leaned up against the changing room wall. "Why don't you just _slow down_?"

"Because," Troy huffed as he slipped the shirt on triumphantly, and began smoothing down his tousled hair. "Gabriella and Taylor are going to look for dresses, they're going after school gets out, I have like three minutes to get outside-"

"Slow down, I don't get what you're talking about," Chad said.

Troy took a deep breath, and turned to look at Chad, who was staring at him, his arms folded against his chest, in confusion. "I," he began as he walked closer to Chad. "Am going to ask her out. I'm going to do it, Chad. Nothing's going to stop me this time." He smiled.

"Alright, dude!" Chad clapped his friend proudly on his back. He grabbed Troy's arm as he darted passed him.

"Dude! What the hell!?" Troy yelled as he stumbled backwards.

Without a word, Chad went over to his locker and calmly opened it. His hand went inside the metal compartment, sifting through his clothes, all the while, he remained in silence while Troy was yelling at him from behind.

Before his brain could comprehend what was happening, his hands shot forward, catching the object that Chad had tossed at him. "You stink." He heard Chad say. He let out a loud laugh, nodding gratefully at his curly-headed friend as he sprayed a copious amount of Lynx on. Chucking the, almost empty, can back he once again made for the door. He had just crossed the threshold when he bumped into Tommy. "Ah, dude I can't stop-" he began, flustered.

"No worries man," Tommy's was full of energy. He was always a relatively positive, upbeat person but there was definitely an extra bounce detectable in his voice. "I just wanted to say thank you,"

Troy looked at him confused. Still anxious to get to Gabriella, he found himself bouncing on the spot, increasingly annoyed at Tommy's tendency to speak in half sentences.

"I mean, I was nervous about it but-""_Dude, _I seriously need to go - in fact, I needed to go like…_yesterday_," his voice was noticeably clipped. "What are you talking about?" Out of the corner of his eye he saw Chad, intrigued, edging closer to them."Sorry, what I mean is: I was pretty nervous to ask Gabriella - I wasn't sure she would say yes - but I did and it felt so good when she told me that she'd be my date, that's why I wanted to come see you,"

Troy backed away from him slightly, feeling somewhat breathless. His words were forced out of him when he backed into a wall, the cold concrete against his back awakening him. "She said yes?" He asked, pained.

"She sure did, man!" He laughed. Troy's sudden solemn disposition going unnoticed by him, he shrugged, still beaming. "Anyway, man," he patted Troy's shoulder. "I'll let you go." He waved goodbye to Chad, and with that, he was gone.

It had been a while since Troy had spoken and Chad was unsure what to say, so he just stood aside, watching his friend, whose head resting lifelessly against the cool locker. Eventually, he walked up to him tentatively and put a caring hand on his back. "I'm sorry, man," he said quietly.

There wasn't a time when Troy could remember hurting so much. He closed his eyes, trying to diffuse the pain, but instead it intensified, as her face smiled gently at him each time his lids closed. He was so confused. There was hurt, anger and for some reason, a feeling of betrayal - a series of emotions he didn't know how to process. But was it Tommy's fault, or even Gabriella's? Or was it that he just didn't want to be held accountable for his self-inflicted pain? It was all to much. His head was spinning, his stomach lurching, his fist clenching in anger as tears - tears that he wouldn't dare let fall - burned deep inside of him like a fire, raging in a crumbling building.

******

"So, what did Tom want, earlier?" Taylor asked Gabriella as they sought through a rack of clothes. They, Taylor more so than Gabriella, were determined to find the perfect dress, the dance being less than two weeks away, and they were certain that this store was the first of many that would see them before they left the mall. "He seemed pretty eager to talk to you.""Oh…" Gabriella abruptly turned away from Taylor, suddenly showing interest in a halter-neck purple dress. "Well he…" delaying the inevitable, she walked towards a nearby mirror, holding the dress up to her body as though she were truly interested in it. "He asked me if I would be his date for the dance. I said yes." She revealed, nonchalantly.

"What!" There was no hiding Taylor's shock as she blurted out a demand that Gabriella admitted that she was just joking. But when no such admission came, she shook her head. "Gabriella, are you crazy or just completely stupid!? Why the hell would you do that? He's Troy's friend, team-mate and you're going with him? Please do not tell me that you're trying to play the jealousy card!"

Gabriella shook her head as she walked further into the store. "Look, Taylor, Cooper and I have always got on, right? So why _not_ go with him? He likes me so…""Umm…let's thing about that, shall we?" Taylor said in a blunt tone. "He and Troy are friends - reason one. They're on the same basketball team - reason _two_. Oh, and, just in case this small detail was forgotten, you _like_ Troy! What the hell?"

"As it was, I was either going on my own, or going with a sweet guy that likes me. I figured the latter was the better option."

******

"Troy!? Is that you?" Lucille called from the kitchen as she heard the front door close loudly.

"Yeah, Ma, it's me,"

Lucille appeared in the hall, a black apron shielding her pink dress from cooking stains. "Just in time sweetie," she said as she tried her wet hands on a checked tea towel. "I made lasagne, it'll be ready in a about five minutes, go wash up." As she spoke, she brushed a hand through her long brown locks, moving an obstructing strand from her eyes.

Troy shook his head, moving towards the staircase. "I'm not hungry." He said, before jogging up to his room, leaving his mother alone, confused.

******

From her room she heard the doorbell ding, making her jump. She took a few deep breaths as she fussed with her hair, teasing troublesome locks into place. Below her, she heard the muffled voices of her mother and Tommy: "Evening, Ma'am," Tommy said politely. "I'm Tom Cooper, is Gabriella ready?" "It's nice to meet you, Tom," Maria replied, smiling at the respect Tom had shown her. "Why don't you take a seat, I'll go check on Gabriella for you."Shortly after, she heard her mother knock lightly on the door, calling her name softly, "Gabi," she stepped into Gabriella's room, securing the door behind her. "Tom's here, he seems like a nice boy."

"Is that your way of, once again, telling me that I shouldn't be going with him?" Gabriella asked. She heard her mother walking closer to her but didn't turn around as she was currently going through her small purse, making sure she had everything; gloss, money, keys, emergency tampons (unless nature decided to mess with her, she wouldn't need them for another week, but she wasn't taking any chances).

"Gabriella, I've said my piece on what I think about you going on a date with this boy, that's all I can do. After that it's up to you. But, you are my daughter and I love you and I want you to have a good time tonight, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom. But, like I said, I'm not going _on_ a date, I'm going _as_ his date - it's different." Deep in her heart she knew it wasn't right, but she continued to kid herself that she was going under honest pretences.

"Stop fussing, sweetie, you look beautiful."

As Gabriella pulled her seatbelt across her small body, she felt Tommy's cold lips press quickly against her cheek. She blushed, unsure of where to look.

"You look really pretty," he told her, as the engine of his blue car revved.

"Thanks," she glanced down at herself. She hadn't been as enthusiastic as Taylor when it had come to dress shopping, but she still wanted to look nice. She had settled on the third dress she'd seen, it was a caramel like shade of brown, with a cream sash around the waist. Stopping just above her knees, it was pretty simple but had a few small details that enticed her - thin spaghetti straps and a slight pleat running down the back. With that, she had slipped on a pair of brown ballet pumps and a little head band (Taylor had said she looked too casual without something to dress her hair) and she was set - comfortable and cute. "You look smart too," she thought it was only fair to return the compliment as he'd gone to so much effort.

"Yeah? Thanks." He smiled proudly as he popped the collar of his crisp white shirt, making Gabriella chuckle.

They stepped into the gym, amazed at it's transformation. Gone were the white partitions on the floor, covered instead with a mass of dancing bodies. Where numerous images of the Wildcats had previously hung, there was now an array of pleated material, elgantly draping for the high ceiling, in various shades of blue and purple.

"Wow," Gabriella whispered.

Tommy gently guided her through the bustling gym, walking towards the spot where he saw his team mates - Troy included. There was a slight awkwardness at first, but with Zeke making a joke to lighten the atmosphere, the tension was forgotten.

"Gabi, you look…amazing," Troy had said before he could stop himself.

Something inside Gabriella went off when Troy said that, it hadn't been the same feeling that she had when those same words were Tommy's. It was a flutter, a blush, tickle and smile all at once as Troy's eyes lingered on her.

"Hey, Bolton, quick drooling. she's _my_ date, remember?" Tommy laughed. Oh, boy did Troy remember, it was a fact that never escaped him. Suddenly hearing the song that was playing, Tommy turned towards Gabriella, her face on partially visible in the faintly lit hall. "You want to dance?"

"Oh…I…I don't really dance," she said feebly.

"Come on, Gabriella!" Zeke boomed. "Tommy, she's just a little shy, she can really move."

Glaring at Zeke Gabriella lost the battle and found herself walking into the mist of swaying corpses, occasionally throwing a pleading look over her shoulder to Troy, but he had turned his back on her, engaging in a mindless conversation with a cheerleader.

She bobbed her head slowly, at first, but then loosened up at the sight of Tommy who lacked rhythm to a painful extent. She began to giggle uncontrollably at her unselfconscious partner. Just then, the contagious hip hop beat died from the speakers, replaced with a soft, gentle ballad. Silence. Gabriella's eyes flittered around her, seeing the surrounding couples move closely together, the girls from the more established couples, resting their heads against their guys' chest.

"We can sit out…" Tommy offered.

Boldly, Gabriella met his green eyes, "I like this song," she said, silently accepting a dance. She hesitated as he stepped closer, his strong hands laying on her waist, but she found the courage within herself to raise her thin arms, placing them on his broad shoulders.

They swayed awkwardly to the music, just as teens unfamiliar to slow dancing would - giving each other small, quick smiles and then abruptly averting their gazes. _Sail away with me, honey,_ the melody hummed through the speakers, beckoning the high schoolers to drift into a world of love, leave their troubles behind.

Gabriella's eyes closed. She felt so warm. Their bodies weren't as close as some of those around her, but she could still feel his body heat, radiating off him. She imagined her and Troy, their bodies moving together, in sync with each other as they always were. Then, guilt washed over her as she thought how unfair it would be if Tommy could see her replacing him in her mind.

"Gabriella…" his tone was midway between a statement and question. Gabriella's eyes fluttered open, the lights were back on and she blinked a few times, readjusting her sight. "The song's finished," he said.

She abruptly dropped her arms, embarrassed. She wished that the lights would dim again, hiding the vivid pink blush on her cheeks.

******

"So, how's it going?" Taylor asked as she and Gabriella entered the girls' bathroom.

As they walked over to the sinks, Gabriella already taking out her lip gloss to do a retouch, Gabriella made a quick assessment of the bathrooms, making sure it was empty. When she was sure that they were alone, she began to answer Taylor, pursing her lips to apply the gloss. "Well, it's…okay," she blotted the excess gloss onto a tissue, leaving a pink lip print, and then continued. "I mean…I think that I thought that we'd come and I'd feel that…spark, y'know?"

"To bad it doesn't work like that, huh?" Taylor said sympathetically. "What about when you were dancing, you didn't feel anything?" She said, fluffing her hair slightly.

"It was…nice, I guess, except…I…" Taylor paused and looked at her intently. "I started to think about Troy and then I started to feel bad _because_ I was thinking about Troy and then it was just…" she trailed off.

"I still reckon you should just tell him, Gabi. Just walk up to him and say, "Listen, Tr---ever," Taylor quickly altered her sentence as the door swung open and three cheerleaders walked in. Trying to bite back a laugh, she went on. ""Trevor, I like you," Georgina said. I'm telling you Gabi, that's what she did and it worked."

"Maybe she and Trevor weren't that close," Gabriella said, closing the subject.

******

Absent-mindedly drumming her fingers on the blue cotton covered table, Gabriella felt a hand gently lay on her shoulder. She turned to see Tommy standing above her. She hoped he wouldn't request another dance.

"Hey, Tom," she said.

"Can we talk outside?"

"Sure," she was a little confused, but she rose from her seat, following him out to the hall. Having been inside the gym for so long, the garish light of corridor made her head spin, so took a few minutes to settle himself. "What's up,"

"My aunt's gone in to labour, and my Grandma's taken her to the hospital," he started to explain.

"Is everything okay?"

"With her? Oh, yeah, she's a couple days early is all. But, listen, it means that I have to watch my little sister,"

"Oh, I understand,"

"But, if you're ready to go then I'll take you home, Grams would totally understand so-"

"No, no, don't worry about it. I'm fine to stay a little longer,"

"You sure?"

"Totally, I'll get a ride with Taylor or something."

The silence that had fallen was broken when Tommy sighed. "Me and you, this happening is it?" His bright green eyes were suddenly solemn.

"Tom…I…I think you're really cool but…it…"

"You like Bolton, don't you?"

Gabriella was stunned by his abrupt question, she hadn't been prepared to answer that question, and she certainly hadn't expected Tommy to ask her. She couldn't bring herself to issue a denial. "How…?"

He laughed slightly. "I have two sisters and tons of female cousins - I know girls, Gabriella. When he told you that you looked pretty, you lit up in a way you didn't when I told you. Why did you say yes?" He looked hurt.

The guilt that Gabriella had managed to suppress that night, suddenly hit her light an iron fist in her gut.

"You didn't have to say yes," he probed. "I would've understood if you said that you didn't like me. I didn't ask you on the off-chance that I could be some…fall-back guy, I asked cuz I actually like you," he shook his head as he spoke.

"Tom, I…" she wondered if she should bother to try an justify such a selfish act, but she felt she owed him an explanation. She dropped her head, but then raised it again, thinking that the least she could do was look him in the eye. "I thought that…that we'd have a good time together. We'd always got along and I just thought that…I don't know. I'm sorry." She hadn't meant to hurt him, but she guessed that her mother was right - her doing so was inevitable. "I really am."

She returned to the table where she had previously been sat, sipping at the punch she'd got herself. She felt horrible, repeatedly seeing the disappointed look that Tommy had given her just before he walked away.

"Your date ditched you?" Troy laughed.

"Yup," she replied.

"What?" Joke suddenly aside, Troy morphed into his usually protective self. "That jerk! He just left you here!?" He was outraged and the volume of his voice told Gabriella just that. She whipped around in her seat, grabbing hold of his hand to calm him, pulling him into the chair next to her.

"I was kidding," she explained. "Tommy had a family emergency, he had to leave,"

Troy wasn't letting him get off that easy. "And what? He just left you here?"

"No. He asked me if I wanted a ride, but I wasn't ready, so I told him I'd catch a ride with Tay, or someone." She stressed.

He looked at her dubiously, but then deciding that she was being honest an not just covering for Tommy, her relented. "You're all alone," he noted, gesturing to the empty chairs that surrounded them at their occupied table.

She shrugged. "I didn't really feel like mingling,"

"You want to leave, don't you?" Troy had made a quick assessment of Gabriella. They had a similar way of showing their disinterest, so it was easy for him to pick it up; her slumped shoulders, zoned out expression - classic signs.

"Taylor's not ready yet, though, her and Mark are having a great time," she laughed, as she nodded over to her friend, who was snuggled in her date's arms.

"C'mon," Troy said, taking her arm gently. "I'll take you home," she opened her mouth, but Troy beat her to it. "Yes, I'm sure - I was about ready to leave anyway,"

She rolled her eyes at the smug expression he wore, inwardly sighing at how well he knew her. She hesitated before excepting the gesture. "I'll just go say good-bye to a couple people," she told him, agreeing to meet him at the front of the building when she was ready.

She enjoyed the ride with him - teasing the heap that was his car, making comedic observations along the way, it felt like it was supposed to, like it had before the whole mess of the dance started. Troy had slowed his car, allowing a dark-haired woman to cross the street. He raised his hand slightly accepting the thank you that she mimed at him as she ushered several children across the road and passed in front of the car.

At that point, he turned to Gabriella. "Good night?"

She huffed, tiredly. "It was…"

"Blah?"

"Not _blah_," she said.

"You're too considerate for your own damn good, Gabriella," Troy said, rolling his eyes as he shifted his car into second and started back up.

"I just don't think it's fair to write the whole night off as _blah_. Okay, so it wasn't _great_, but there were a few good points."

"Like?"

"Troy!" she was getting annoyed with his questioning, sensing an undertone to his light-hearted voice.

"Sorry," he mumbled, rolling his eyes, as he turned away from her. "Why did you go with him?" He suddenly blurted out as though he had lost control of himself.

"Excuse me?" The red light they had stopped at shone directly on to her face, showing her anger and surprise.

He tried to back track, but it was too late, the hatchet he had opened refused to be closed, no matter how hard he tried. "I'm just saying I was a little surprised. Your last report card," he said, using the green light as an excuse not to look at her. "Your lowest grade was what? An A-, and that was for gym!

And then you have Tommy, great guy and all, but hardly the sharpest tool and all that. I just didn't really see how the two of you matched."

"If you _must _know," Gabriella said through gritted teeth. "We've always had good conversations, I find him really funny and thought we'd have a good time together. Happy now? Does that answer you question?" Her tone was clipped and she was beginning to wish she had just stayed and waited for Taylor, better yet, that she'd just walked home - slipped out of the gym without saying goodbye, and letting the cool air clear her mind.

Troy ignored both of her questions. "Yeah, well," he said in a robotic, defeated tone. "Like your Dad used to say: you can't marry funny." Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Gabriella staring at him, her eyes fixed with frightening precision, her small foot tapping irritably on the floor of his car. He cursed under his breath as he slowed the movements of his car, repeatedly flashing his lights at two striped cats that were stationed directly in the middle of the road. "Damn cats," he moaned. "Get out the way!" he yelled, but the obstinate cats showed no signs of moving.

He was still flashing his amber lights, when he heard the click of the door handle, and saw Gabriella hop out of his truck in silence. He stretched out of the window, yelling, "Where are you going!? Gabriella! UGH!" Inching his truck to the left, he parked and abruptly sprinted after her. "What are you doing!?" He called.

"Why don't you get how this works!?" Her tone was sharp, mirroring the sound that her pumps made as they clipped against the stone street. "You're not meant to follow me, don't you get that? I don't _want_ you to follow me!"

"What the hell?" He was still quite far behind her - the time he took to park having given Gabriella a head-start. "Where are you going? _Why_ are you going!?"

"Because I've had enough of you, Troy, I thought that part was pretty obvious!" Though a small part of her was glad that they were on a residential street, rather than a busy main road, and that many of the houses, going by the lack of light that streamed through the windows, seemed to be empty, another part of her - the part dominating - didn't care, and was certain that, no matter where they had been, she would be yelling at Troy with the same force - as was the level of her anger.

"Yeah, Gabi, I got that much. What isn't obvious is why. Why are you so mad all of a sudden? What, cuz I asked why you went with Cooper?" Troy felt a light spray lay upon his face, warming him of the beckoning rain. "Gabs, it's gonna rain, will you just get back in the car?"

"I'm not mad because you asked, alright. I'm mad because you're being such a hypocritical jerk!" She spat, wiping a heavy drop of rain from her flushed cheek.

"Well, I'm sorry that I care about you! I'm sorry that I'm showing interest in my best friend's life because I don't want you to get hurt!" Troy turned his head as he heard a loud screech come from behind him. It appeared that one of the cats had been struck by the other. The largest one now darting away through nearby bushes, the smaller, injured cat cowered alone, it's paw covering it's face.

"You care! Funny way of showing it!" She could see the hurt on Troy's face as the words stung him. All his life he had been there for her, protecting her in any way he could, so being accused of not caring hurt him more than anything she could've said, but she couldn't stop herself. "You care so much about me and Tommy not matching, but you were happy enough when he asked you if you'd mind him asking me," she saw Troy's eyebrows furrow. "Oh, you didn't think he'd tell me?" Troy didn't answer and Gabriella sighed. "You know, Troy, we're friends, I don't want to stay here and get mad at you. I'll walk home and we can both calm down, 'kay?" She turned her back on him, her eyes focused on the ground, being soothed by the patter of the light rain.

"He lied to you, Gabriella." Troy shouted softly. It was now or never. "I never told him that."

She turned to look him in the eyes. It was one thing that kept her from walking on at that moment; he'd never lied to her.

_________

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**:D...Until next time, readers xoxo**


	10. Sixteen: What to Say?

**New chapter already! Thanks so much for all the reviews, I loved this batch especially. I still feel like you guys are holding out on me, though. I want everyone who favourited this fic to review! Please, perrty please with a red velvet cupcake on top. lol.**

**I hope you guys enjoy! Twilight fans are going to see a little Edward/Bella throwback in this chapter lol**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

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"What are you talking about?" Gabriella's voice shook lightly. Troy had moved closer to her, so she no longer had to shout, no longer _wanted_ to shout. "No. He told me that he asked you. I was hesitating and he told me that if I was feeling weird cuz we were so close that you'd told him you wouldn't mind. What are you talking about, Troy?" She pressed, her heart beating faster.

Troy's hand ran through his now damp hair, though he, too, was now oblivious to the moisture that settled on him. "I mean, yeah, he asked me, but…" he paused, piecing the events together in his mind, speaking aloud rather than to Gabriella. He had decided that it would be easier that way. "I never said yes, I didn't. I'd tried so freakin' hard, Gabi, but every time - _every single time - _someone would be there; your Mom, mine, _Taylor_," he stressed Taylor's name, once again feeling the anger that had risen within him that day in the parking lot, as Gabriella was called away. "And then," he continued. "He asked me. I didn't know what to say. What was I 'sposed to say? If I'd said no then it'd get back to you and I didn't want that, and if I'd said yes - well I wasn't going to say yes. Then my Dad came, told us to get to the gym and that was it. After practice I was coming to find you, to ask you. Cooper came, told me how _he'd_ asked and you'd said yes. It killed me, Gabi." For the first time since his explanation had started, he looked at her, his blue eyes seeking hers earnestly. "It killed me." He repeated in a whisper.

No words passed between the two of them, the only sounds to be heard was the rain beating down around them, the occasional hungry rumble of thunder or the angry lightening cracking furiously. Troy hadn't been surprised when his revelation had been met with Gabriella's silence. He'd understood that it was a lot to take in, and reasoned that she was probably in shock, so, giving her some time, he merely stood, his hands in his pockets, awkwardly rocking from the heels of his feet, to the balls and back again. When the silence continued after Troy had let a reasonable amount of time passed, an unnerving thought flashed across his mind with the quickness of lightening ripping across the sky. Maybe it wasn't shock that had muted Gabriella, perhaps it was a feeling of revulsion, perhaps she was thinking about ways to let him down gently.

_Nice going, Troy, you've just ruined your friendship_ he thought to himself. "I should get you home." He mumbled to Gabriella, not torturing himself by looking at her, and turned back towards his car. He felt a set of small fingers urgently grab his. He turned.

"If I wanted to be with Tom," Gabriella said slowly, making sure her every word was understood. "I would've left when he did." She had excepted over the years that Troy sometimes wasn't the quickest when it came to hints and she realised that she had to elaborate. "I've been waiting, Troy, I've been waiting for you to see. I'm here." She whispered. "I'm your's."

He could feel his shirt pressing to his body, saturated by the rain, but he didn't care. He could feel his hair dripping wet, pasting to his forehead, but he didn't care. He could feel his heart pumping - faster than he knew was possible - the girl he had dreamed of holding his hand, that, _that_, he cared about.

Gingerly, he dipped his head, leaning forward ever so slowly, part of him believing that his mind was playing tricks on him; that she was an oasis in the dessert. He was convinced that he wouldn't really feel his lips touch hers, and so, prepared himself for the disappointment.

Troy's body shielded her from the rain that was rushing directly at her as he leaned closer. Her breath hitched. This was it. His nose tickled hers, as it brushed against her tip a few times before he finally closed the distance between their mouths. It was her top lip that was first treated to the sweetness of Troy's lips. Her top, then bottom and then, both at once as his right hand circled around her waist, pulling her body against his. The heat that radiated through him kept her warm despite the icy rain that fell upon her bare arms and shoulders as she stretched onto the tips of her toes and wrapped her arms tightly around his broad shoulders. Her light moan mingled with the elements as Troy's soft tongue slipped into her mouth expertly, probing.

He found it hard to believe that they had only kissed the once, so many years before. Everything felt so right, their lips moved in sync like seasoned dance partners just as they had back then. Pulling away reluctantly, he nipped at her lips a few times more and then stepped back ever so slightly - he didn't want to lose contact - and smiled down at her. "I've waited so long to do that again," he said hoarsely, his breathing uneven.

In a state of dreamlike shock, Gabriella nodded, leaning up to press one more kiss to his lips. The thunder roared, shaking them from their bubble and they looked around them, for the first time really noticing the weather.

"You got your rain," Troy whispered. He had never forgotten that dream of hers, of standing in the rain, having passionate kissed bestowed upon her as the rest of the world cowered away in the shelter.

"I always knew I would," she replied, burying her head into his chest, hugging him tightly.

******

Their voices quivering slightly, they had begun to shiver by the time they got back to Gabriella's. The sudden change in temperature as they entered the warm house, sending goose-bumps down their spines. She had left Troy standing by the door when they had first got back and now, Gabriella returned, a shirt in hand for him to change into.

"Here," she smiled as she handed him a large grey t-shirt. Though it was her shirt, she knew that it would fit Troy as it was a guy's shirt she had bought - when it was cold and rainy, she would slip it on, loving the feeling of being enveloped in the draping material.

"Thanks," he began to unbutton his shirt right then, smirking smugly as he saw that undeniable glint in Gabriella's eyes as his damp torso was slowly revealed. He snorted.

"What?" Gabriella blushed.

He parted his lips slightly, ready to tease, but then changed his mind. He didn't want to embarrass her so soon into their relationship, and, besides, he was hardly innocent, he couldn't deny having taken full advantage of the fact that her dress, soaked, was now translucent in the car ride back. "Nothing." He said dismissively with a smile.

She smiled back at him sweetly before leaving to remove her own wet garments. A few steps up the stairs, she turned to him and said: "I have to do a load anyway, you can throw your shirt in the kitchen by the machine."

Troy nodded. "Hey, Gabi," he called when she had reached the top step. He had tried, but couldn't resist; "You like what you see?" Spreading his arms to flaunt his naked chest, he laughed loudly as Gabriella blushed furiously under the bright lights of the hall and trotted to her bedroom.

******

With Gabriella curled into his body, her head laying on his chest, her arms holding his body close, Troy sighed, softly stroking the curls that flowed down her back. There had been a few kisses since they had come in, a hug or two and the occasional touch of their hands, but there hadn't been much communication - in actual fact, there hadn't been any - and a thought floated back to Troy. He remembered being down by her door, and throwing the term "relationship" around in his head. But, is that was they had? Is that what she wanted?

"Hey," he said softly, urging Gabriella to look up at him.

She lifted her head only slightly, not wanting to compromise the comfortable position she had found herself in. She smiled up at him, her expression unintentionally doe-eyed, causing, yet another sigh to escape from him before he knew it. "Yeah?"

He didn't want to rush her into anything, so he chose his words carefully. "Do you think that Cooper's going to be okay? I mean, he might think you guys hit it off tonight and…"

"I don't think so." She laughed softly. "He knows that I like you." She watched Troy's dark brows furrow. She jumped slightly, startled by the loud explosion that just ripped through the film they were watching - Troy had chosen one of the Die Hard movies and she'd agreed, knowing full well that her mind was too preoccupied to pay attention anyway. "He said he saw it. When you told me that I looked pretty, he says that I lit up and so…yeah…he kind of guessed." She gave Troy a quick run-through of events, explaining how she didn't think he'd ask her and so chose to go with Tommy instead. "I didn't mean to hurt him," she stressed, once again feeling guilty, tears welling in her eyes. "I didn't. I can't believe I was so selfish. I didn't even think about him for one second, all I thought about was me. How _I _felt_, _how _I,_ was upset. I never thought about him - God, I'm such a horrible person!"

"Hey, hey, hey," Troy consoled. "Stop it, Gabi, stop." Gently, he pried Gabriella's hands from her face, her beautiful features no longer concealed. "Listen, if you're a selfish, horrible person, then I think the entire world needs to be populated by people like you. Gabs, you're always putting people before yourself, making sure others are okay. So this one time you put your self first, big deal. You didn't mean to hurt Cooper, and, yeah, he might be a little pissed but he's not going to hate you over it," Gabriella shot him a disbelieving look, telling him not to be so sure. "Cooper knows that you've got a good heart - that's probably why he likes you - this one little thing isn't suddenly going to make him think that you're like an evil witch or something. You're an amazing person Gabriella, everyone can see that." He brushed her cheek gently, his thumb tracing the outline of her face.

"You're my best friend, it's your job to say that." She mumbled.

"You're right," he could see that she was slightly taken aback, not expecting his agreeing with her. He continued. "My job's to tell you the truth."

She gave him a half smile before wrapping her arms once again around his waist and hugging him. In response, Troy sympathetically pressed his lips into her hair.

Shortly after, Troy remembered that the purpose of his mentioning Tommy had been unfulfilled, and so started again. "Gabi?"

"What are we, Troy?" Gabriella suddenly asked, her head snapping up. "Like are we just…hanging out?" He knew by "hanging out" she meant dating. "Are we…"she trailed off nervously, banking on the fact that he would see what she was hinting at.

"Official?"

The words had barely left Troy's lips before Gabriella blurted out: "Are we?" nervously.

"Is that what you want?" Troy asked. His voice was low, almost as if he didn't want to break the piece, the tranquil atmosphere.

Gabriella had now fully pulled away from him and was sitting cross-legged, with her hands in her lap, her eyes darting around the room. "I don't want to say what I want," she said nervously as she fiddled with her fingers. "Cuz it might be different to what you want and I don't want to make things weird." With a shy expression, she spared a glance up at him.

"So, I guess you want me to go first, huh?" Troy asked.

"Well, you know, as the guy, I reckon it's the right thing to do," she joked lightly.

"Ahh…okay, well…" he wasn't quite sure why - part of him thought it'd make for more romantic settings - but he reached for the TV remote, hitting the muted button and silencing the room. " Funny isn't it? I've been thinking about this conversation for a good year now and it's finally happening and I don't know what I want to say." He laughed. "Alright, I'm flying by the seat of my pants here, but here goes." He took a deep preparatory breath. "I like you," he stated first. " I really, really like you. And, I know you always hear people say that you shouldn't date your friends, cuz if it doesn't work out then it'll spoil the friendship, and that really scares me, cuz, Gabi, you're my best friend and I don't want to do anything to jeopardize that and lose you. But, me and you, I think it could work. I want to try. I want to be an official," he suddenly gained confidence and started speaking with more punch. "Hand-holding, making-out, boyfriend/girlfriend couple. Whatever you want to call it, that's what I want to be." He exhaled when his piece was done, and gave Gabriella a small smile, sitting back to accept his fate. "And, right now, I'm kind of really hoping that that's what you want too." He tried to read her expression, but without luck. It was the exact same one that she'd worn when he first told her he liked her; blank, comtemplatory.

Finally she released a breath. She hadn't realised that she had stopped breathing until her head had begun spinning and she was seeing duplicates of Troy throughout her room. She chewed on her bottom lip, still in silence, before leaning towards Troy and pressing her lips to his. The kiss was short, but nevertheless, of major significance. "That's kinda what I want too." She smiled.

"Phew! I was getting nervous!" In an over-exaggerated gesture, Troy wiped his brow in relief.

"So…I guess I'm your girlfriend, huh?" Gabriella teased, her lips hovering closely to his.

Troy nodded bringing their lips even closer, so that they brushed with every movement his lips made. "And I guess that means that…I'm your boyfriend?"

"That's typically how it works." Gabriella giggled.

"Good." Troy whispered, closing the space between them.

******

The TV screen had been blank for hours, but neither of them had noticed, instead they were simply enjoying being together, being in each other's space. They had spoken about absolutely everything, already feeling the added closeness of their relationship; it was like being wrapped in a large blanket on a cold night. They laughed when they reached the topic of their relationship; Troy telling Gabriella of all the different time he had tried to ask her out; "_You were trying to ask me that time? No, way. I thought you were but then you just stopped so I figured I must've been wrong!" "Nah…I just bottled it." "How about the time when… Were you trying then." "Man, that was the day my Dad came in, right? God, I was so mad at him for screwing that up."_

They tried to pretend that they couldn't here Gabriella's phone ringing, but the caller was persistent, calling two more times after they had been cut off.

Troy opened his arms, releasing Gabriella and silently telling her to accept the call. "I'm really starting to hate that thing." He said as she stood off the bed, adjusted her blue sweat top and then crossed the room in search for her bag.

As she found the offending item and flipped it open, she nodded in agreement and then pressed the phone to her ear. "Oh, hey, Tay," she raised a finger to Troy, signalling that she'd be right back.

Troy exhaled deeply, his cheeks puffing out as he followed the sounds of Gabriella's fading footstep. He squinted, as he tried to make them out, finally placing her in the bathroom. With his arms folded behind his head he relaxed until his eyebrow quirked, an idea having occurred to him and then he hopped off the bed.

Whilst Troy was skulked around Gabriella's room, Gabriella sat on the edge of the bath, soothing Taylor's concern. "No, Tay, I'm fine, really. I just didn't really want to wait around and Troy said he'd take me home." Gabriella said as she fiddled with the bathroom tap; turning it on and off and allowing the icy water to trickle over her fingers.

"What about Tom, is everything okay?"

"He had to leave cuz he had family stuff, and he told me that he could see that I liked Troy and I felt totally crappy but other than that, everything's cool. Tay, listen," her voice brightened.

"Oh, honey, do you want to come over and we can hang and forget everything?" Taylor offered, already one step ahead of her offer and considering what pizza they'd order.

"No, I'm here with Troy. Guess what? We had this argument coming home and--"

"No way? What about? Are you okay?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes reaching for the towel to dry her fingers as she noticed that they were turning an unappealing shade of blue with the cold. "Yeah, I'm fine. Listen,"

"So, what about?""Taylor!" She said loudly in an exasperated tone. "I'm _trying_ to tell you." Taylor silenced and Gabriella could almost see her doing a pantomime of zipping her lips on the other line. "We had this argument and, long story short, Troy told me that he'd been trying to ask me to the dance, but Tom had got there first - I know, Taylor, you told me so," she added before Taylor had a chance.

"So, what now?" Taylor voice excited as she questioned Gabriella, while clapping on the other line.

"Well, we're…together. Like, properly together. Hand-holding, kissing," she said, mimicking Troy's words. "officially together!" She squealed quietly, not wanting Troy to hear her, laughing as she heard a squeal even higher than hers come from Taylor who was panting wildly.

"Wait, what are you doing on the phone, then?"

"Uhh…telling you," Gabriella stated, laughing.

"Well…Go! Go hold hands and make out and then call me when he's gone!" Taylor ordered. "Gah! I'm happy for you."

Still smiling from her conversation with Taylor, Gabriella stepped back into her room. After spending so much time in the softly lit gym at the dance, she found that her eyes were still unable to adjust, and so she stretched her arm towards the light dimmer by her bedroom door, turning the knob to left until the room was very gently lit, and almost looked as though it had been lit by candles.

"Just Taylor," she said to Troy as closed the door behind her. She furrowed her brows as she noticed Troy hovered over her CD player in silence, fiddling with the remote. "What are you doing?"

He didn't answer, just continued to fuss. Eventually, he moved away form the player, and walked slowly over to Gabriella who wore a questioning look on her face as the mellow sounds of a soft guitar strums echoed in her room.

Troy opened her hands, Gabriella too confused to resist, and lifted her phone from her palms and placed it on her bed as he drew her further into the room. By this time, Gabriella had recognized the intro, but it didn't help in solving her many unvoiced questions.

"I didn't get my dance tonight," Troy said as a tender male voice seeped from her speakers; _Hello Beautiful, how's it going._ "Dance with me, Gabi," Troy whispered, pulling her body against his.

Gabriella's body moved of it's own accord as she began to move with Troy, her arms wrapped around his shoulders. She breathed in his musky, spiced scent and shivered as his lips brushed her ears, her eyes closing. This is all she had wanted. This is how it was meant to be, not false, strained emotions, but emotions that refused to be contained, emotions that were real. She wanted somebody who she could goof off, cry, and howl with laughter in front of. A guy who would face the world, not in front or behind her, but standing fixed at her side. She wanted a guy that would dance to Jonas Brothers though he detested them with a burning passion because they were her favourite group and because that simple gesture would make her heart soar.

******

"See, all those time you laughed at those movies, I told you you were wrong," Gabriella scolded. "You're living proof, that stuff does happen in real life," Gabriella said as she cocked her head to the side.

"Geez, Gabi, don't stroke a guys' ego," Troy nudged her in the side before moving in to kiss her. As their lips first brushed and Troy moaned, Gabriella heard the distinct sound of the garage door beeping, admitting a car. Startled, she pushed Troy - who was made thoroughly confused by the gesture - and starkly sat upright.

"Crap, my Mom, I totally forgot about her!" Gabriella's whisper was frantic, her eyes wide and she raked her fingers through her hair.

"Gabs," Troy's tone, Gabriella found annoyingly calm and relaxed. "Maybe this is a good time to tell you that I know your Mom - quite well, in fact." Troy flinched as Gabriella's hand stung him with a hard smack to his bare skin.

"Shut up, Troy. I mean…what should I tell her?" She asked. At that moment her mothers key unlocked the door and - Gabriella assumed she'd noticed the shoes in the hallway - she called upstairs.

"Gabi!" She yelled. "Gabi, are you home."

Gabriella's face contorted as she bought herself extra time. "Uhh…yeah, Mom…I'm just here with Troy!" She abruptly turned her head back to Troy, shrugging in a way that requested help.

"Just…tell her that we're together now. I mean…" the uncertainty returned to Troy's voice. "If that what you --"

"Troy," Gabriella rolled her eyes and his persistent questioning, to which Troy raised his shoulder sheepishly, silently apologizing. "I mean, I haven't even - Hold on, Ma, we're coming! - I haven't even told her that I'm going on a date before and now I'm suddenly telling her that I'm going steady with someone?"

"On the upside," Troy said warmly. "That someone's me so I think that'll make the news easier to accept on your Mom's part."

"Yeah, I'm sure." Gabriella laughed. She closed her eyes, working it through in a split second. "I'll tell her in the morning or when you leave, I don't want things to be weird for you."

Troy nodded in agreement, extending his hand to Gabriella and helping her off the bed. When they reached the door, Gabriella squealed as Troy pulling her waist roughly, bringing her body flush against his. "Since your Mom won't know for now," Troy said huskily. "I better get this in now." With that, Troy joined their lips, softly letting their mouths merge together and then parting her lips with his tongue. He loved how Gabriella had grown in confidence since their first kiss, she no longer had that period of adjustment, instead, reciprocated his kisses with equal fervour.

"God, I love when you do that." Gabriella sighed when they had parted, her eyes still firmly closed, replaying the image on her lids.

******

"So…" Maria said, minutes after she had bid Troy goodnight. She was standing by the dishwasher, unloading the machine as she spoke. "Are you going to tell me what happened at that dance?"

Gabriella automatically assumed that her mother was referring too her date with Tommy, but upon seeing the devious glint in her eyes, decided to question her further before responding. A neon pink straw between her lips, Gabriella sipped at her soda and then asked, "What do you mean what happened?"

"I mean," Maria said as she shut the door of the dishwasher and turned to face Gabriella. "What happened between you and Troy?" She then laughed a knowing laugh. "Darling, I was a teen once, and though you and Troy thought you were so good at hiding those looks between the two of you, been there, done that. I know something's happened."

Knowing that their cover had been blown, Gabriella threw her head back in exasperation, colour flooding her cheeks as though a dam within her had broken. In a rushed, much edited version, she gave her mother an account of the evening, repeating, much to her delight, some of the most significant moments with Troy. She spent the rest of the evening, literally, dancing around the house, trying to release all of her energy. She sung, danced, hugged her mother repeatedly with joy. She felt a distinct change that night as she settled under her covers. She was Gabriella Montez, best friend and, as of six and a half ago (yeah, she had actually calculated), girlfriend of Troy Bolton. Girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend. _God_, that sounded good.

******

The next morning, Gabriella stood in front of her mirror, her foot tapping in anticipation. She checked her clock every two minutes, the wait to see Troy rendering her intolerable. He was coming to pick her up for school as he usually did, but both were acutely aware that it now held a new significance and Gabriella was guilty of having dedicated a few extra minutes to dressing that morning; she had re-styled her hair more times in that one morning than she had in her entire life, sliding in a glittered butterfly pin when her lose bun (styled to look effortless) had finally satisfied her. Her eyes bugged as she heard Troy's car stuttering down the road and she ran to the door of her bedroom.

"I got it, I got it!" She yelled to her mother as she flew down the stairs. She stood impatiently by the door, awaiting Troy's ring and when it finally sounded she beamed but remained still, determined not to look as though she had been desperately awaiting his arrival. Taking a deep breath, she casually swung the door open and smiled.

"Oh, hey," she said with as much nonchalance as she could muster, shifting her weight to her left leg and tapping her right.

"Please, Gabi, I know you heard me coming," Troy smirked, calling her bluff and laughing as she rolled her eyes in a conceding manner.

"But you, smarty pants, weren't supposed to know that," she said.

"I know _you_, Gabi, you seem to forget that," he teased, before stepping closer to her though still not inside the house. "And, hey, yourself," he said quietly, and, not wanting to seem pushing, pressed his lips firmly against her cheek.

Gabriella felt her heat rising but nevertheless, resented the gentleman inside Troy that was making him hold back. "I thought we went over this last night," she rolled her eyes and then craned her neck upwards and kissed him fully on the lips, smiling at the fact that he didn't need any further persuading before he was suckling on her lips.

"You're right," he said after they had separated. "I much prefer that good morning," Gabriella gave him an 'I told you so' look and he smiled before asking, "So, you ready, Ella?"

"Ella?" She questioned, confused by Troy's renaming of her.

Troy bent his head, sheepishly raising his left hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Well, I…" he glanced back up at her, squinting in the sunlight. "I thought it'd sound pretty on you - I've been thinking it for a while now, but I didn't say anything; that's one of those things that only a boyfriend can say, don't you think?" He looked at her nervously, waiting for her reaction.

With her head tilted to the side, and her lips turned forming an upside down crescent shape, she nodded slowly. "Ella," she rolled the name around on her tongue and then with a decisive tone said, "I like it." She giggled. "Umm…let me go get my bag, then I'm ready."

As Troy stood waiting, allowing the warm air to wash over him and heat his back, he heard an ear-splitting clatter come from the kitchen, followed by a string of murmured curses. Immediately, he trotted towards the kitchen, leaving the door ajar, to Maria, who was muttering under her breath as she collected the scattered pans from the kitchen floor, oblivious to Troy's appearance.

"Hey," Troy dropped to the floor beside her, gathering up the pans in assistance. "I got it." With perfect balance, Troy collected the six pans and each of their lids and placed them on the kitchen counter.

"I was trying to reach the one up there," Maria pointed to a shining stain-less steel pan at the top of a high cupboard and Troy immediately reached for it, bringing it down. "And that," she said as she took the pan from him with a thank you. "Is why I married a tall man." Though she laughed, Troy detected an understandable touch of pain to her voice. He couldn't imagine what it would be like to be reminded, even in the small everyday things, of something that was so cruelly snatched away from you.

"Any time, Ms. M." He smiled.

Maria cocked an eyebrow. "Ms.?"

Troy blushed slightly, and began to explain. "Oh, I hope you don't mind," showing his nerves he began to brush down the spotless sleeves of his green tee. "It's just that, seeing as Gabi and I are…" he trailed off, embarrassed by the smile on Maria's face. "It just felt kind of weird calling you 'Aunt', y'know? Made it seem kind of creepy," Maria laughed, tapping his arm in understanding.

Following the voices, Gabriella walked into the kitchen shooting a smile once again as Troy who was leaning casually against a work surface. "I'm ready," she said going over to hug her mother.

"Gabi, I'm going to be late tonight, so I'll leave some lasagne for you to reheat." She said as she hugged her daughter back, smirking at the perfume that lingered on her clothes. She followed them to the door, waving goodbye as they descended the front steps and headed across the lawn to Troy's truck. "Oh, Gabi!" She called. "You might want to try a different gloss," she teased. "_Kiss Me Cherry _doesn't really suit Troy." Even in the distance, she could see the couple blush in unison, their heads dropping to hide their embarrassment as Troy bought his hand to his mouth and began scrubbing at his lips.

******

Gabriella smiled broadly as Troy opened the door of his truck for her, offering his hand. Once out, Gabriella felt hundreds of pairs of eyes following them, whispers surrounding them as Troy reached for her hand, lacing their fingers together. "Everyone's watching us," she whispered awkwardly.

"That guy isn't," Troy pointed into the distance with a chuckle before adding, "Oh, wait…he just looked." Not the least bit bothered of what people thought or said, he threw his arm proudly around his girlfriend, kissing the side of her head and began walking her towards her locker.

As expected, Taylor was already packing her books away and waved almost manically as she saw the two stepping in sync towards her. She didn't say anything regarding the relationship while in Troy's presence, but the second he left, not before promising to see Gabriella later, they both began to quietly squeal.

"Oh my, God! Did you hear the way he said that he'll see me later?" Gabriella asked, her hands flapping as she fanned herself. "It was all hot and brooding like," she dropped her voice an octave or two. "'See you later' he totally sounded like a movie star or something. And he opened the door for me and everything!" Troy opening her door wasn't something that he had never done before, but now it carried an entirely different significance.

"I can't believe you have a boyfriend! Can you believe it? I can't!"

******

"I can't believe it, dude," Chad said, patting Troy on his back.

He had felt as though he had hidden his feelings for Gabriella extremely well up until that day. He had expected outcries of shock and surprise as he told his friends that he'd gotten with Gabriella, but instead the ruling consensus among them was that he'd taken way too long.

"Dude, now we can double," suggested Zeke as he bounced the ball to Troy.

"No offence, dude," replied Troy, missing his shot and groaning. "But I've done my dating thing with Shar, and while that whole…pre-Madonna, obsessive, drama queen thing gets you hot and everything, I _never_ want to go back there…ever!"

"I really think you guys give my Peanut a hard time, once you get to know her--"

"Whoa," Chad cut in. "Rewind. Who the hell is Peanut?"

"Oh, it's my little nickname for Shar. My peanut cookies are her favourite so I call her Peanut."

"That, my friend," Troy threw Zeke the ball. "Is highly disturbing."

"You can talk, Bolton. When did Gabi become Ella?" Realising that he'd won, Zeke laughed loudly, taking a shot in triumph.

"Who has peanuts?" Jason suddenly questioned; he always seemed so come alive at the mention of food. He looked around, bemused as he was met with a deafening silence, nobody taking the time to respond.

******

"Guess who?" Troy whispered as he cupped his hands over Gabriella's eyes, brushing his lips over the back of her neck. "You smell really pretty by the way," he said in a low tone.

Gabriella remained in silence, hoping that her lack of a response would get Troy to continue the tantalising action of his lips. She moaned as she felt his tongue dart over her hot flesh and he began suckling on her neck. Biting her lip, she gasped as he bit her softly, before suckling the skin once more. About to bring her hand around to run her fingers through he shaggy hair, Gabriella jumped, pulling away from him as the bell rang and she came back to herself.

"Are you crazy!? Where in the middle of the hall!" She whispered.

Troy, though, didn't see the need for stopping and pulled her by the waist back against his body, searching for her lips. "It's been three months. Everyone knows that we're a couple now, babe, we're expected to kiss inappropriately in the middle of the hall." He teased, peppering kisses across her cheek.

"Not happening, Troy," she said as she scanned she halls for teachers, surprised by the fact that nobody seemed to notice, or perhaps care, that Troy had been softly attacking her neck in their presence. "Besides, I've got to go,"

"But I thought we could hang, I miss you," Troy pouted, his hands still firmly attached to her waist as he ignored her comment that they had last seen each other an hour ago. "Later then?" He asked hopefully, beaming as Gabriella agreed and kissing her quickly before she had time to refuse. He watched her hips sway as she left him, walking with an extra bounce in her step. His eyes widened suddenly and he briskly walked through the halls, telling everybody that stopped him that he couldn't talk. When he was only feet away from Gabriella, he broke into a trot, his hand immediately raising to her hair. Gabriella questioned him, confused as she felt his hand moving in her hair, but he didn't say a word until, finally, he released the pin that had kept her bun in place and her ebony curls tumbled down her back, tickling the skin. He pressed their palms together and Gabriella felt him slip the hair pin into her hand, though she still didn't understand.

"Sorry about that." He mumbled sheepishly as he kissed her cheek by form of apology.

Her eyebrows furrowed and then she raised a hand to the back of her neck and felt the heat radiating from a patch of skin there. She then rolled her eyes at Troy and said, "Thank God I've got long hair, huh, Wildcat?" she teased as she realised he'd covered yet another hickey.

"It's not my fault." Troy replied obstinately. "I reckon you deliberately spray all that stuff on it and make it smell nice. I think you secretly love my hickeys." He said boldly.

"Got me there, Bolton." She replied sarcastically, raising her hands in defeat.

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**Whoa! That was the chapter you've all been waiting for, so I hope I did myself proud and lived up to you expectations. _Please_ let me know. Also, I was curious to see how many of you picked up on the fact that it was starting to rain towards the end of the last chapter. The only person that mentioned it was Zanessa4ever so congrats to you lol. Keep an eye out for those little things, because I'm going to write more references to earlier chapters futher down the line.**

**Umm...what else...? Oh, yeah, idk how many of you know, but I also write a Zanessa fic. Usually I upload onto livejournal but I'm going to take a chance and upload it here, so that'll be up in a few hours (the first two chaps and a new one) and I'd really like to hear what you think.**

**That's the end of this really long A/N lol and I'll let you return to your lives. ...REVIEW!!!**


	11. Sixteen: Hormones and Hickeys

**A/N My muse was practically on life support while I wrote this chapter, so I apologize now if it seems half-assed. Hope you guys still in joy, thanks for all your reviews, keep 'em coming!!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

**Rated M for language and sexual scenes**

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Somewhere in the course of the evening - the memory too far away in Gabriella's mind to precisely say when - Gabriella had gone from being sat next to Troy, to now - due to Troy swiftly, and without her notice, shifting her - being on his lap, her arms coiled, like the body of a Cobra, around his neck.

A moan eluded from Troy as he suckled Gabriella's bottom lip into his mouth, the sweetness from the chocolate she'd recently devoured treating his tongue. Gabriella's fingers raked through his hair as his hands slipped under the hem of her midnight blue tank top, his finger nails gently scraped over her soft, warm flesh. Again, Troy moaned, but this time, as Gabriella's mouth pulled away from his, it was a moan of displeasure, his lips, and once probing tongue, feeling displaced and lonely. But it was soon aver lapped with a throaty groan as her lips pressed into the hot skin of his neck, kissing various spots, before flicking her tongue quickly over a single protruding vain.

"Hmm…" Troy moaned breathlessly, his hands inching further up her top, until, sneakily, he brushed against the clasp of her bra. "Gabi," he breathed.

Softly, timidly, her teeth grazed over his Adam's apple, her tongue slivering over the indentation of her teeth to soothe it. She pulled away slowly, lifting her head to return her lips to his, but as she bought her mouth closer to his, Troy's head recoiled.

"You always stop," Troy panted in a murmur. Gabriella's eyebrows knitted, so Troy continued. "What you were doing before," he bent his head and quickly kissed her neck so she understood his meaning. "You always stop before you give me a hickey."

Gabriella blushed slightly, and loosened her arms so she could get a better view of Troy - the close proximity of Troy's face blurring her vision. "I…I have longer hair, so I can cover mine." She explained. "I just thought…" she chewed her lip, feeling shy about the topic and her current position, now that her haze was lifting.

"I wouldn't mind," Troy shrugged. He then dropped his voice and bought his face closer to hers, their lips brushing as he spoke, his sentence slow and drawn out. "Actually…I'd think it was kinda hot." He winked at her, eliciting a titter, as he joined their swollen lips once more.

******

"Nice shirt," Gabriella commented as she slipped into Troy's truck, her heart thumping at the sight of Troy's white t-shirt clinging to his chest, beneath a short-sleeved checked shirt that he favoured. Having to meet with Taylor to discuss decathlon plans, Gabriella had made her way to school early without Troy, but as they had finished earlier than expected, she had decided to find Troy before school officially started.

"Why, thank you," he leaned towards her, his fingers gently holding her chin, and kissed her glossed lips tenderly. "I thought maybe you'd appreciate the gesture." He teased.

In the moment, Gabriella had lost all self-consciousness about the hickey, feeling a sense of pride when she'd left her mark, and when he'd moaned at the feel of her supple lips. But, as her hormones had begun to settle, Troy had noticed her sparing the odd glance at it, and he knew she was feeling slightly embarrassed, so as a good will gesture, had worn a shirt in attempt to conceal the mark.

Rolling her eyes, Gabriella said sarcastically, "How sweet."

"Yeah, I though so, too." He quipped. "Brie? You know last night? You know that you didn't _have_ to, right? I know I said I'd like it and all, but if you didn't want to…"

"It's not that." Gabriella replied. "I _did_ want to - I wanted to see what it was like and how you reacted -" her cheeks dusted in a faint pink. "But…I just felt kind of weird about people seeing it, you know? Once they see it, they immediately know what we were doing and then they start assuming we're…_you know…_ and I don't get why, because, just because we're dating and of a particular age, doesn't mean we're sleeping together." She rolled her eyes, and shook her head, slumping into the aged leather seat. "I just wanted to avoid all that speculation."

Understanding her reservations - he, too, had had to deny a fair lot a questions from the guys on his team regarding that subject - Troy nodded. "I just…you never have to do anything you don't want to with me, you know that, don't you? No pressure." He reached over, and took her hand, following carefully the visible veins in her hand with his thumb and forefinger.

"I trust you." Gabriella whispered, with an endearing smile forming, as she leaned her body towards the curve of Troy's.

A loud thud, like the sound of an immense tree crashing to the ground, sounded close by, and Gabriella jumped and then hit her palm forcefully against the window when she saw Chad and Zeke's faces pressed against the glass, guffawing loudly, slapping each other's hands as they doubled-over with laughter, Zeke doing his best impression of Gabriella in her frightened state.

"Jesus, Chad!" Gabriella yelled, taking deep breaths to tame the wild roar of her heart. "Hey!" She lightly smacked Troy on his arm, glaring at him. "You're not 'sposed to laugh with them."

Losing the battle to withhold his sniggers, Troy let the laughter rip through him, and he too, before long, was holding his stomach tightly. "Your face was priceless!" He howled, pointing a shaking hand at Gabriella, who rolled her eyes at the simple sense of humour possessed by the guys of her age.

"It's pitiful - it really is." She sighed as she climbed out of the truck and, with one elbow resting on the hood, supporting her weight, leant against the front of Troy's car.

"Don't be mad, Gabi, we're guys, it's in our blood - we are exempt from all blame." Chad chuckled, throwing an arm around Gabriella's shoulder in a friendly hug.

"Besides," Zeke interjected. "You and Troy were about to get all smoochy - don't deny it, we saw you guys leaning in for one -" Zeke said as Gabriella and Troy both opened their mouths to protest. "So, we figured if we were going to catch you, we'd better be quick."

"Catch us for what?" Troy, who was now standing next to Gabriella, with an arm around her shoulder, pulling her against his chest, asked.

"My parents are out Saturday, said I could have friends over, you in?" Chad scoffed, disgusted, when he saw Troy look over at Gabriella before offering a response. "Jeez, you guys are like a married couple! Are you _seriously _asking her permission, Hoops?"

"Was not!" Troy protested. "If you must know, Chad, I was asking Gabi if she wanted to go. We had a date planned, but if she'd rather hang with you guys, then it's cool."

"All that from one look?" Chad replied.

"You wouldn't get it." Troy, Gabriella and Zeke said in unison, each earning a narrow-eyed glare from Chad.

******

"So, are you and Gabi in?" Chad asked, as he stuffed the remainder of his taco into his mouth, before dabbing the corners of his lips delicately with a napkin.

"I don't know. We might drop by later on it the night." Troy replied, picking at the tomatoes on his plate, his face contorted with revulsion. "I hate this crap." He muttered, as he lay a slice of tomato on the very edge of his plate, trying to minimise it's contact with his food.

"I can't believe you guys are blowing off hanging at my place," Chad scoffed. "It's not like you'll never be able to have a date. Besides, Taylor's going to be there, I need as many people between the two of us as possible."

"Firstly, you're wrong, we can't ever have _this_ date again, because, as I've mentioned about ten times in this last month, it's our six month anniversary - it has to be special. Secondly, weren't you the one that invited Taylor?"

"I could hardly _not _invite her - it's what we do; we hang, we argue, we hate, we hang." Chad shrugged as though it were a reasonable definition of a friendship, though Troy detected something more in his extending an invite to Taylor. "I can't believe you guys with all your anniversaries. What happened to the days when only _married people_," he stressed the term, making sure to impress the fact to Troy that he was not married, though acted very much like he was."Marked out the day they met and all that crap?"

"It isn't the day you meet you celebrate," Troy corrected, annoyance hinting at his voice as he fixed his eyes on Chad, who remained looking clueless. "It's the day you became official - so, for me and Gabs, the day of the dance. You just don't get it cuz you're not with anybody," he dismissed. "it's important to celebrate - one day, my friend," he leaned across the circular table and patted Chad's shoulder mockingly, "you'll understand."

******

"Ryan!" Gabriella trotted after Ryan, seeking out his pink trilby in the crowds. "Ryan, wait up!" she called. Having finally caught up with him, she handed him a single sheet of paper, with musical notes on it. "Here, you left this." She smiled.

"Oh, thank you!" He exclaimed, kissing the sheet of paper and then lunging forward and hugging Gabriella tightly. "Kels, would've killed me had I lost this, she spent forever on it and it's her only copy."

Still flustered by Ryan's sudden show of emotion, Gabriella stuttered, and then said, "Wow, I think that's the most I've ever heard you say. You don't talk much, do you?"

Ryan seemed to recline, his personality going back with him. "You know," he shrugged. "Sharpay tends to do enough talking for the two of us."

"But what Sharpay thinks, can't always be what you think, can it?" Gabriella asked curiously, watching his reaction as he gradually opened up again.

"What she thinks, is enough, to her. There's never any need for anybody else's opinion."

"Why do you let her talk to you like she does?" it was only then that Gabriella realised that they had begun walking towards the cafeteria, but as she was heading there anyway, she showed no objection, following Ryan as he weaved through the halls, checking the drama club sign up sheets as he went.

"I know people think she's a bitch, but, she's my sister. I get her in a way nobody else does. It sounds weird, I know, but Sharpay, she doesn't mean to act like she does." Gabriella quirked an unbelieving eyebrow at him, and he clapped his hands together triumphantly at the response one of the sheets before replying. "You see, our Dad, his family didn't have much money growing up, so he always said to me and Shar, that we'd never want for anything - all we had to do was ask, and we got it. The thing is, it made Sharpay think that that's how the entire world works, she was so used to getting her own way, that side of her just…fixed." He shrugged, almost pitying his sister. "Gabriella," Ryan said earnestly, pausing at the door of the cafeteria. "my sister's a good person," desperate not to offend, Gabriella forced her eyebrows, with iron will, not to jump at this statement. "You just have to get to know her and look deep - really deep sometimes."

"Hey, Chad's having a bunch of people hangout at his place Saturday night, you should come," she tapped him lightly on his blue shirt, laughing as some of the glittered shed onto her palm.

"Chad?…uhh, thanks but I'm going to give that a miss,"

"You don't like Chad? Why?" through the glass window on the door behind Ryan, Gabriella held in a chuckle as she saw Troy and Chad shooting spit balls at each other, Chad shaking the white napkin flecks from his hair.

"Not Chad specifically," Ryan said, shaking his head to correct Gabriella's assumption. "I just do my best to stay away from Jocks in large numbers."

"Why? They're not all jerks, you know,"

"Oh, I forgot you date Troy - I really wouldn't have put you down as the type that'd go with a Jock."

Offended by this stereotype, Gabriella, after pushing her hair out of her face, said defensively, "This isn't about Troy. It's about the fact that you've dismissed a whole bunch of really great guys just because they're Jocks. They're just regular people that _happen_ to play ball - that doesn't mean they're all bullying, ignorant jerks. Example: just because you dress a little different from other guys, and love theatre, doesn't mean that you're gay." She stated, shifting her weight to her right foot and crossing her arms whilst raising the perfect arch of her brown brows. She then glanced at his pale pink Chinos and his bedazzled shirt, embellished with rhinestoned flowers, and quickly, to make sure her point could still stand, said, "_Are_ you gay?" her head bending towards Ryan.

"What? No!" Ryan replied emphatically, making sure that those who had heard Gabriella's question also heard his flat denial.

"Exactly." She said, confident once more. "So you shouldn't judge them."

"Ouch, watch out Bolton," Chad, who had just spied Gabriella and Ryan an the cafeteria entrance said. "Looks like you've got some competition." He tipped his head over to the main entrance, and Troy's eyebrows knitted.

"What?" Troy scoffed, his eyes fixed on the two as Jason asked him a question in the background, of which, all Troy could hear, seemed to be muffled mutters. "Ella doesn't like him - he's too weedy. She likes…_real_ men." He said cockily, obviously in reference to himself.

"They look pretty close to me. Besides, Gabs may not like him, but does he know that?"

The seed of suspicion planted deep in Troy's brain, began to rapidly sprout, little voices lurking in his mind telling him to watch his back, be careful of Ryan, protect Gabriella from male hormones other than his own. Survival mechanisms going off in his head, his chest puffed, his calm blue eyes fixing into the glare of an Alpha as his fist clenched under the table, ready to defend. Immediately, in a possessive tone, marking out his territory, Troy sought to make himself, and his status in Gabriella's life, known and blurted out, across the sea of feasting heads, stilling the lively hubbub, "Babe!" he waved his arms as Gabriella noticed him and smiled, shyly, giving him a small wave.

Eventually, when the peering eyes returned to their own lives, and the focus shifted from Troy and Gabriella, Ryan said, "I think someone wants you," in a sarcastic tone. Being a guy, he had heard Troy's tone and, though he'd never had to opportunity to use it himself, had immediately recognised it. "You better go." He said, as Troy waved Gabriella over again.

"Why don't you come sit with us?" She proposed, lifting a red lunch tray off of the counter, holding on it a can of soda, and a large burger, dripping with tomato sauce. "If you don't completely hate us, then come on Saturday. Deal?" she smiled at Ryan as he contemplated it, sipping at his milk to aid his choice. "Hey," she said, already walking off towards the table, confident he would follow. "You can even bring Kelsi," she teased.

"What? What do you mean?" Ryan asked in a hushed voice, trotting after her.

Approaching Troy, who was still beaming at her, doing his best to erase Ryan from the equation, and show him that his presence was not required, Gabriella dropped her voice, and said, just before the others were in earshot to pick up the end of the conversation, "I see how you look at her." With that, Ryan lingering behind, she set her tray down, placing her bag down on the floor by the numerous pairs of feet and smiled over at Troy. "What was that before?" she asked, trying to play down her embarrassment

"I just wanted you to come over," he said, practically pushing a protesting Jason off of the chair beside and offering it to Gabriella so she wasn't seated beside Ryan, who was awkwardly introducing himself to Chad, Jason and Zeke, who he already had a good relationship with, having seen him at his house with Sharpay on more than one occasion. "I missed you." Troy mumbled, his lips brushing Gabriella's ear as he wound his arm around her waist, pulling her as close as possible, nipping at her neck while she proceeded to tuck into her burger, manoeuvring around his tight grasp and teasing lips for the remainder of lunch, Troy resisting each of Gabriella attempts to desist his actions.

******

The shrill call, like the scraping of nails against a blackboard, echoed around the gym as Jack, with his cheeks puffed out and red, blew a deep breath into his whistle, calling the team to attention.

"Wildcats! Line up!" His large hands clapped together, colliding repeatedly until the team had followed his orders, naturally falling into the correct positions - lining up either side of Troy and, unofficial co-captain, Chad. "Okay, we're going to run last weeks play again," Jack began, pacing the length of the line to look each team member square in the eye. "Bolton!" he said, once at the end of the line, pausing before making his way, gradually, back up to where Troy stood, shoulders braced for the criticism. "You should be getting in that fourth shot by now,"

"Yes, Coach." Troy replied, looking up to his dad as he towered over him, his dark green polo shirt that had been tightly tucked into his trousers, showing his heaving chest.

"Keep your game tight, you hear me?"

"Yes, Coach." He said, with vivacity, trying to prove to his dad that he was going to try his best.

"Cross!" He then moved along to Jason. "You're slacking. We've been at this for two weeks now, Baylor and Danforth should not still be getting past you. You know how important this is, don't you?" Jason nodded. "You guys all know, right?"

"Yes, Coach!" They all chorused, the ones who hadn't been picked out thankful for the mercy.

"Okay, head in the game, boys! Everyone left of Bolton, Bolton included, Skins. Everybody else, Shirts! Come on, people!" he cried exasperatedly, as they each trudged to their respective sides, the ones instructed, pulling off their thick sweatshirts, sighing in relief when the air, even though with the accumulated body heat, it wasn't quite cool, hit their sweating chests. "I'm going to the equipment cupboard, I want you all ready, warmed up and in position when I get back."

"Trust us, Coach," Zeke laughed quietly as Jack turned his back on the team and made his way to the door, rolling his eyes at the crowd of girls that had gathered by the entrance, giggling at the shirtless players. "We're warn already."

As Troy stripped off his red sweatshirt, stretching slowly to relieve the ache in his already sore muscles, wolf whistles began to glide towards him, penetrating both his ears. He was certain that they had nothing to do with him, but was then convinced otherwise when his and Gabriella's name began to mingle with the whistles and cheers.

"Gentleman," Chad called seriously. "Bolton…" his hand clapped on Troy's bare shoulder, the impact showing as Troy's skin turned a lurid red, stinging. "Has finally been branded. Way to go, man!" Chad cheered, as the other broke out in applause.

"What?" Troy said, confused as the cheers surrounded him. "Dude--" he tried to say before Zeke cut in, it finally dawning on him what the fuss was about.

"I have to say, I didn't think Gabriella had it in her - it's a big one, too."

Troy scrunched his eyes closed, his head falling into the palm of his hand as the guys milled around to inspect and congratulate him on his hickey.

"It's always the quiet ones," a voice said. "Dude, you think you've got a little sex kitten in Gabriella? That'd be so hot! Innocent school girl by day--"

"Kinky hot chick at night!" Zeke concluded, slapping hands with fellow player, Joe. "It'd be like dating a Catholic school girl!"

"Don't talk about Gabriella that way," Troy demanded, feeling as though he'd let Gabriella down. "Back off of her, alright? Gabriella's not like that - she's not slutty."

Knowing that Troy was serious, the each stayed off Gabriella, though continued to make little jibes at Troy throughout the duration of practice: _"Troy, that shot sucked!" "Nah, Troy doesn't do the sucking, remember?"_

******

"Dude," Chad said quietly as the two of them walked out of the locker rooms, neither taking the time to fully dry their hair so occasionally having to wipe stray water droplets from their cheeks, where they most commonly fell. "Be honest, it feels good, right?"

He didn't need to ask Chad what he was referencing, he automatically knew. Since the age of fourteen, they'd both speculated what a hickey would feel like - whether it'd hurt or turn them on. To Troy's irritation, Chad had beat him to it, prancing boldly over to his house one Saturday morning a year before to show off is bruised neck. "Hell yeah," Troy admitted smugly, lifting his hand to graze over the spot where his girlfriends supple lips had marked him, shown the world he was taken. "It feels damn good. Dude…it was so…" he gesticulated exasperatedly, trying to find the word to befit the experience.

"Hot?" Chad supplied.

"Man, that doesn't even cover it," Troy said, shaking his head with a dazed expression.

******

"Hey, baby," Troy whispered as he snuck up on Gabriella, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist and gently pressing her against her locker, moving his lips closer to hers at a torturously slow pace. His warm pink lips started pressing kisses to her flushed cheek, slowly moving to the left, her arms groping his, trying to spur him on, until, at last, his lips skimmed over hers, that puckered immediately at the craved stimulation, her actions so different from the girl three months prior who didn't want people to see them kissing in the halls.

"Yo, Gabi." Chad sniggered, as he passed, interrupting their moment, flanked by three team mates who all chuckled with him, exchanging knowing glances.

"What was that?" She enquired when Chad and co. had walked on.

"Nothing," Tory replied shortly, leaning his head forward again and sighing when, for the second time, Gabriella pulled away, denying his desires. "It's no big deal, they saw the hickey, that's all."

"What? _That's all_? Oh my God, now they think I'm a total slut!" She groaned, suddenly imagining copious pairs of eyes glaring at her in judgement.

"Chill, Gabs, no body thinks you're a slut," he said softly, placing his hands on her shoulders so her gaze would lift and meet his eyes. "It's no big, 'kay? All the guys thought it was super hot - they were all congratulating me." Using his discretion, he decided that it wasn't wholly necessary to divulge all the details to Gabriella, protecting her from her own sense of humiliation, and safe-guarding, quite selfishly, his own physical needs.

"Your Dad see it?" She asked, begging that he would say no.

"Well…I'm pretty sure he did, it was hardly hidden, but he didn't mention it, if that helps." Gabriella shook her head wildly and buried it into Troy's chest, whimpering. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he'd choose to day to put me on Skins, I'm almost always a Shirt."

"Stop calling it a hickey," she mumbled. "At least say love-bite - that doesn't sound as bad." Troy tried to comfort her again, but it failed to work. "Like you really care," she muttered. "You probably thought it was cool that everyone saw it - another way to pee on your territory. Yeah," she said before he could ask anything or voice any kind of denial. "I'm not completely clueless. All that at lunch, earlier? I knew exactly what it was about."

******

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the faint lighting, the restaurant seemingly in complete darkness save for the twinkling fairy lights that had been strung across the ceiling, providing each table with a small glow, only there, Gabriella had figured, to enable the diners to see the menu without the assistance of flashlights. The space seemed so quiet and serene - like a haven after a week of high school. Surrounding them were groups of friends, engaged in a low dialect; couples, whispering sweet nothings to each other (just as Troy and Gabriella, no doubt, would be doing later in the night); and waiters and waitresses hovering over the tables, each of them secluded, built into small coves, advising those who required their assistance on the best dishes, giving their own opinions.

"This place is really nice, Troy," Gabriella said softly, thanking him with a smile as she ran her fingers over the leather-bound menus, embellished with old Chinese proverbs.

Troy shrugged, smiling back at her, her blushing cheeks and glimmering eyes detectable even in the low visibility. "Our three month anniversary was meant to be a big deal, y'know? But, seeing as I was totally broke, you settled for watching some movies in my room and a card, so, I really wanted to make this special, make up for it. And," Troy rose his hand to cut off her speech. "I know that you said you didn't mind, and I believed you. That's what's so cool about you: you're not about material stuff. That's an even bigger reason why I wanted to do…this." He gestured to the restaurant; the table, the lighting. "You deserve it for being such an awesome girlfriend." He reached over, shifting their chairs closer together in the process, and reached for her hand, the blue of his eyes boring into her soft brown orbs.

"You're not too bad yourself." She said, returning the compliment and quickly pressing a chaste kiss to his cheek.

"When I'm not being an over-protective idiot, you mean?"

Chuckling at his blunt self-assessment, Gabriella sighed and said, "Something like that."

"Ella, that stuff in the lunch room the other day, I'm sorry. I know I acted stupid. It's just that…a part of me…I feel like I'm programmed to protect you. There's still this thing inside me where I'm…where I still see us as those two little kids who were told to hold hands when we crossed the street, the first time we were allowed to go to the shop on our own, y'know? You remember?"

Giggling, and then pausing to give the waiter her drink order of a non-alcoholic cocktail of passion fruit and mango, Gabriella resumed the conversation, "'Course. We'd each saved five dollars and were so proud of it. Then you spent all of yours on the first trip so when I wanted to go back you kept asking me to buy you stuff." She rolled her eyes endearingly, remembering him, as a short ten year old, with his hands clasped together, pleading profusely with her.

"Hey, ten year old boys aren't known for their money sense or knowledge of the term 'budget', okay? Anyway," he said, pulling himself back on track. "With you, something just…kicks in and--"

"Troy," Gabriella, with her head tilted to the side, her butterfly clip catching the light and sparkling, stopped Troy in the middle of his explanation. "I get it, okay? And, yeah, I love the fact you want to protect me - that's what a boyfriend's meant to want - but, at the same time, we aren't those ten, eleven, twelve year olds who have to watch each others back. We aren't those little kids anymore, Troy, and you can't always jump in like you used to just cuz some guy's talking to me - especially not when it's as innocent as me and Ryan talking was - FYI, he likes Kelsi." Upon revealing that piece of information, Gabriella saw Troy's eyes drop from her, and instead focus, sheepishly, on their adjoined hands. "I can handle myself. And that doesn't mean that I don't want you to get involve sometimes, cuz I do, you just have to pick your moments."

"So, no rude or sharp interruptions, basically,"

"Right. And _no_ using me to prove a point." She said finally, her tone more harsh than it had been previously.

******

"Ummm…" Ryan stuttered, as the door to Chad's house swung open and Chad, shocked by his appearance as Gabriella had forgotten to mention the invite she'd extended to Ryan and Kelsi, greeted him. "Hi," he said, trying to accomplish the basics of the task first. "Uhh…Gabriella invited us," he said, gesturing towards Kelsi who was standing meekly behind him, her hat pulled so far down over her face that Chad struggled to recognise her.

"Oh…piano chick, right?" he said, peering closer as he opened the door wider for them, his handful of popcorn proving too large and tumbling out of his palm onto the wooden floor of the entrance hall. "Hate to break it to ya," he said, turning back to Ryan as he walked them through to the open plan living room and kitchen, where most, the ones who hadn't gone out to the garden, were. "But, Gabi isn't here, her and Troy are on this major date, so, they won't be 'round till later - Jason!" He then yelled, turning his attention from his guest. "What the hell!? Put that down!" he demanded as Jason casually sat on the arm of his navy couch, tossing his mother's favourite - and freakin' expensive, Chad had stressed - glass vase. "Sorry," He said, facing them again. "There's soda over there and stuff if you want it, and…if you'll excuse me," he said, his body swivelling slowly as his eye line followed the swaying hips of a brown haired cheerleader. "I have some business to take care of." He said slyly.

Clicking his tongue on the roof of his mouth to pass the time - a sound that Kelsi's teeth began to grit at - Ryan stood with his hands wedged into his pockets, until he finally, after taking a deep preparatory breath, and deciding to make the most of the night, said, "So, you want a so--oh my _God!_"

Kelsi flinched, shocked by his outburst, and almost everybody with in ear shot that wasn't engrossed in their own conversation turned their eyes towards him. But Ryan was completely oblivious to everyone outside his frame of vision, too outraged by the sight of his sister on Zeke's lap, his hands roaming underneath her sparkled blouse, while her hands gripped the back of his neck, making sure their lips were fully joined. "Sharpay!" Ryan cried, unsure of whether to look away from, what he felt was, a skin-crawling sight, or stay long enough to grab her attention. "Shar!" he called again, but neither of them took any notice, apparently the only ones in the room to not do so, their lips locking more fervently, Sharpay's kisses trailing down to Zeke's neck and back again. A shortness of breath and a series of incomprehensible whimpers, prohibited Ryan's further protest when he saw Sharpay's tongue trust forcefully into Zeke's mouth, and soon after, fearing he would pass out from the scene, Kelsi ushered him into the garden giving him an ice-cold soda while he gathered himself.

"My…sister…" Was the first thing he muttered when he came to.

******

With anticipation, Gabriella flipped open the lid of the dark blue rectangular box that Troy had subtlety placed on the table when she'd left with the bathroom. Having just finished a shared desert of lime sorbet, Gabriella pushed the ice cream dish aside so it didn't block the light, and she was able to view the gift clearly. A silver glint shot out of the box as it was revealed, a simple silver chain with a bold 'T' hanging from it, the pendant embossed with a ruby; the school colour.

"'T' as in Troy?" She asked coyly, lifting in delicately between her fingers and then handing it to Troy, shifting in her seat so he was able to place it tenderly around her neck.

"'T' as in Troy." He confirmed, his lips, moist from his habit of liking them, pressing onto her neck three times. "I wanted everyone to know that you're mine." He said softly, when she turned back around, fingering the pendant. When he spoke, she knew immediately that it wasn't a possessive gift, a gift to warn other guys off, but instead, a gift that showed his pride in the fact that he was able to call her, the gorgeous, intelligent, witty, Gabriella Montez, his girl.

"I'd be honoured for everyone to know." She replied, with a smile that never failed to stop the beating of his heart. "'Kay," she said a while after, after both had simply enjoyed the presence of one another, not needing words to fill the time. "Mine doesn't have a pretty box or anything but…" from her bag, she produced a small black pouch, the action making Troy chuckle, reminding him somewhat of a magic show, and handed it over to him.

Thanking her as he received it, Troy kept glancing up at her as he undid the drawstring, watching her face as she released a fall nervous anticipatory giggles. Tipping the bag upside down, a small key-ring fell into his palms, a sphere on the end of it that, when he examined it more closely, he realised was a solid, miniature basketball engraved with a large '14' - his number - and on the back, calligraphic writing with the inscription '_play for me'_ . He was silent for a while, his smile speaking for him.

"You like it?" she asked nervously, "Cuz the guy was real friendly, he said that if you wanted something else on it or…whatever, he'd change it - free of charge."

"I love it," he said, reaching into the pocket of his jacket and clipping it onto his keys. "I'm going to put it in my pocket every game." He said, further enforcing his statement that he like and appreciated it. "Thank you." He said stretching his hand forward to cup her left cheek, and slowly leaning forward. Both their eyes fluttered closed, their breath growing more shallow as they got closer, their noses brushing together.

"Hi," the cheery waiter, cut it.

Gritting his teeth as he and Gabriella reluctantly parted, Troy turned his head to face the culprit, flashing him an insincere smile as he calmed himself. As the man made mindless small talk, Troy was shocked at his level of oblivion, completely unaware, as he brushed his hands through his short hair, dusted down his black shirt, freeing it from lint, that he'd completely trampled over their romantic moment.

"So," he said finally, his sigh upbeat. "Can I get you anything else?" he took out his pad, clicking the pen to get the nib out and flipped over onto a fresh sheet of paper, ready to note their request.

"No," Troy replied hastily, "just the cheque." Sneaking his hand underneath the table and squeezing Gabriella's thigh.

******

Raising her brows as she casually flipped her hair over her right shoulder, Taylor suddenly sniggered, amidst Gabriella's retelling of the date. "I see Troy's been living up to that Wildcat nickname of his." Rolling her eyes as Gabriella stared back at her, not needing to explain that she was confused as her vacant expression communicated that fact perfectly, Taylor raised her hand, the slender forefinger of her right hand tapping a spot on her neck.

"Oh my _God_!" Gabriella whispered, shocked as her hand flew up to that mirroring spot on her own neck. "You can see it?"

"Gabriella," Taylor said matter of factly, sipping at the drink she'd left by her feet in Chad's living room where the two were talking. "You've got a hickey the size of a small African country on your neck, _of course_ I can see it."

"Bathroom, now!" Gabriella replied, yanking Taylor from her comfortable position on Chad's arm chair, pulling her out of the living room, weaving the two of them through the hall and up the stairs towards the bathroom.

"Please," Taylor began as she and Gabriella located, and pulled out her hair pins, Gabriella's perfectly neat ballerina bun gradually falling until finally her hair lay in a mass about her shoulders and down her back. "Don't tell me that this," she pointed to the patch of red skin lay. "Happened in the restaurant, cuz that's just…tacky." She said scornfully.

"No! …we were making out in the car afterwards." She mumbled the last statement shyly as she pulled her hair over to the left side of her neck, doing her best to fix it in place - and memorize it's position, realising that she'd be wearing her hair the same way for the next few days until it faded into the point of being unnoticeable.

"Is there ever a time where you guys _aren't_?"

"Yes!" She replied in the same indignant, insulted tone as before. "Well," she began to consider the honest answer. "Yeah…sometimes…occasionally." She diverted her eyes from Taylor, looking instead up at the patterned ceiling while Taylor rolled her eyes, but laughed all the same. "Tay? Do you think it's strange? …Us always making out all the time, I mean."

"Gabriella," Taylor chuckled. "We're sophomores! All around us - literally actually -" she said, referencing the couples they had left in the main rooms of Chad's house. "Couples are making out. It's hardly a new phenomenon. Though…I never thought you'd be that sucking face twenty four seven girl."

"Neither did I!" Gabriella exclaimed in response, content with her hair and finally relaxed. "When I used to see couples making out in the halls and stuff - even a few months ago - I'd be like 'get a room', but now…" she paused, suddenly perplexed and walked over to the bath tub, perching herself on the edge of it, taking her weight off of her feet. "I'm one of them." She concluded softly, more out loud than to Taylor.

"Do _you _think it's strange?" Taylor asked, walking over to her and leaning her shoulder against the cool grey tiling.

She thought about it for a moment, trying to process and arrange all of her emotions into an understandable answer. Taking the large peach frill that across the top of her floaty blouse, she answered, shaking her head. "No. I think…me and Troy, we've always been so close," Taylor nodded. "there isn't a single thing - a childhood memory, a personality quirk - that Troy could tell me about himself, cuz…I know it all. I've been there through everything, so it doesn't feel like we've rushed into the physical stuff, y'know?" Taylor's lips turned down at the corners, her eyebrows rose, thinking that Gabriella had made a good point. "Though," Gabriella added as an after-thought. "I'm not sure if making out technically counts as 'physical stuff' cuz that usually refers to sex, doesn't it?"

"I guess so, but making out is still a physical activity…just not…_that_ one." The both giggled.

"Troy's my first boyfriend--"

"Except," Taylor contradicted, raising her hand. "Joe Waters."

"Taylor," Gabriella rolled her hazelnut eyes and shook her head - holding her hair obsessively as she did so. "We were in _fourth grade _and it lasted…what? The whole of recess! That so does_ not_ count!"

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she teased. "But the two of you had planned to marry at lunch, right?" Gabriella's eyes rolled again, but more dramatically that the first time. "That, to me, speaks of a committed relationship."

"And then that skank Cassie got in the way. Remember how she would always offer to kiss the guy? I wonder where she is now."

"Probably…on some guy's bed." Taylor sneered, chuckling.

"Ooh, Taylor Mckessie, I always knew there was another side to you." After sharing a laugh, Gabriella returned her to subject. "As I said," she began, this time Taylor being the one to roll her eyes and display her boredom, sitting carefully on the sink - the minimalist style of it, completely made out of glass and almost flat, heeding her in her attempts to relax. "This is still new to me…but…I…I like it."

A smile pulled at her lips, as her fingers ran over the letter her neck now bore - her favourite letter. After only six months, Troy was making her feel things she'd never expected. She had a need for him - yes, both emotionally and physically - one she couldn't control. Her thoughts during the day were filled with his scent, his arms around her body, his warm gaze meeting hers, her dreams filled with the same. Their didn't seem to be that many differences between their friendship and relationship - still being able to talk with one another in a way they could do with no one else - but the difference between them, though Gabriella couldn't precisely say what it was (excluding the physical element, of course), she liked it - she loved it. It was as if, even in their closeness as best friends, their had been a wall in between them, keeping them apart in some way. And that night after the dance, when they finally let their truths out, it silently crumbled, leaving only Troy, Gabriella and their unimpeded emotions for each other.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**I hope it wasn't too horrific lol. Review! Luv ya! *kiss***


	12. Seventeen: Vulnerable

**I've spent a while on this chapter, hoping that the emotions were written clearly and were put across well. I hope you like it, I'm desperate to know what you think. Thanks to everybody who reviewed the last chap. I tried to relpy to as many of you as possible but in case I missed anyone, I've mentally sent you all a HUYYOOOGE hug lol.**

**Rated M for language and sexual scenes**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

* * *

**Vulnerable - _Vanessa Hudgens_**

_Hold me now, I can't tell if I'm lost of found _

_And I don't know how to let you in, or let you go, _

_I'm so vulnerable_

* * *

The howling laughter that bounced off the flowered wall paper of Gabriella's bedroom soon died as Troy relinquished his tickling fingers, and Gabriella was left panting breathlessly.

"You," Gabriella said with difficulty. "Are a cruel, cruel man, Troy Bolton," swatting at him with a tired hand.

Troy, perched on the edge of her bed, dodged the hand and laughing, replied, "You know you lo--" realising the enormity of his words before it was too late, Troy snatched them back and then he turned his attention to Gabriella's balcony where a small Blue jay sat, merrily looking about him. Clearly, Troy could see Gabriella's reflection in the glass of the doors, watching him intently, now sitting erect, with a nervous look gracing her features.

It had been strange adjusting to life as a couple; there were now a lot of conversations that could no longer be had - any remark containing the 'L' word, was at the very top of the list. They had always been in the habit of telling each other that they loved them when they were younger, but now those three little words, held a completely different weight; one neither of them were sure they were ready for.

Troy sat, tapping his socked foot apprehensively on the floor, and then finally deciding that the thick air was too much to bear, he turned towards his silent girlfriend and said, "I better get going, I can't be late," she gave him an understanding nod and watched him reaching for his trainers. "So, I guess I'll…speak to you tomorrow." His eyes looked at her only briefly, unsure of how she would react. He knew he wouldn't see Gabriella at school the next day, for it was the seventh anniversary of her dad's death and she always stayed home. Previously, she and her mother would travel down to the cemetery to visit Alejandro to mark the day, but three years before, when her mother had called her to leave, Gabriella had revealed that she would no longer accompany her mother, and that she wished to spend the day alone. No one, not even Troy, knew the reason for this sudden change, but she was given the permission and the subject had never been broached since that day.

"Aren't I going to see you?" Gabriella asked.

"Huh? Do you _want_ to see me? I didn't think you were coming to school tomorrow cuz…well…"

"Why wouldn't I be coming in?" she asked him, with a tone that wondered why he'd think anything to the contrary.

"You…usually…" he stuttered, thinking of the best way to phrase his words, but then decided that if she was happy to go along as normal, perhaps he should support in that decision. "I…I'll pick you up at the same time."

She smiled gratefully, reaching to her bed-side table and handing him his phone. "I'll see you then," she smiled, stretching her head up to meet his lips in a chaste kiss.

He reached her bedroom door, looking back at her with a hint of sadness in his eyes. "Night, Gabs." He said, with a small, almost undetectable, smile.

"See ya, Wildcat." She replied, a hollow tone in her voice. Keeping her smile fixed until she heard the front door close behind him, deflated, she flopped back against her bed, where she curled into a foetal position and hugged her small bear tightly to her chest, forcing back an waterfall of tears that threatened to run, unending, down her warm cheeks.

******

Troy stood awkwardly in the doorway of his living room, watching his dad bounce in anticipation on the sofa, hunched forwards towards the TV with his fist waving at the basketball players. "Dad," Troy said. When he heard no response, he called even louder. "Dad! Dad!"

Upon hearing him, Jack shifted his body on a forty-five degree angle so, with one eye still on the game, he was able to see Troy. He watched as Troy entered the living room and perched himself on the arm of the sofa, his hands resting on his thighs as he prepared himself to speak.

"I need your advice," Troy said, smiling appreciatively as his dad paused the game - a rare occurrence.

"Go ahead, son,"

"Here's the thing," he paused. "I feel kinda weird telling you this," he chuckled as his dad braced himself, his chest puffing, and then said with a tone of reassurance, "Don't worry, Dad, it's not about sex." He teased, rolling his eyes as Jack sighed in relief.

"Okay, so, seeing as it isn't about…the big…" he couldn't bring himself to reference his son and Gabriella needing sexual advice and so instead just said; "you know what. What's up?"

"Okay, uhh…I almost told Gabi that she loved me and--" at that point Jack cut in, seeking clarification saying: "That _she_ loves you?" Troy nodded and continued. "Yeah, we were messing about and she was telling me that I was cruel and I was all like - just like I used to do when we were younger - 'But you know you lo---' and then I just kind of…trailed off."

"How did Gabriella react?" Jack was now fully engaged, his body directly facing Troy and a stern, intent look was upon his face.

Troy's hand ran through his hair smoothing down the hair that had tussled when he had shaken his head in response. "I don't know. We just…left it, I guess. Everything was just super quiet and awkward - we weren't even looking at each other. I left shortly after, I thought maybe it was best."

"How did you feel? Were you…relieved that neither of you said anything or did you think that maybe you should have bought it up?" Jack probed, his eyebrows furrowing as he took a sip of cool beer and awaited Troy's answer.

"I don't know." He flopped into the armchair, resting his head in the palm of his right hand. "I didn't want to freak her out and she looked all nervous after I'd said it, so I guess that's why I didn't bring it up. I was kind of scared as well, I think. Except…" he ran his tongue of his teeth as he processed his thoughts, his eyes on the floor. "I don't think I was scared in the same way Gabi was...it sounds weird to say 'I don't think', right? If I don't know, then who will?" he asked, chuckling.

"Why were you scared, then?" Jack watched his son carefully, studying every line, twitch and expression that crossed his face in the light of the living room. He knew he was nervous; he could see it in the way he played with his hair, fiddled with his clothes and fingers.

"I think because…because…two reasons: I didn't want her to freak and because…saying it - the _idea _of saying it - didn't scare me like it used to." He revealed nervously, his eyes flitting up to his dad's and back down to the pale wood flooring.

"So, just to make sure I'm getting this, you're scared because being in love no longer scares you?" Troy nodded. "Ah,"

"Ah?" Troy said, frustrated. Though he knew that his mother was the wrong person to discuss this issue with - had he told her, she would've gotten caught up in asking where the time had gone, and reminiscing over old memories - he knew that she at least would've given her opinion and help; she would've given a lot more than 'Ah'. When it was clear that Jack had no more to add to his monosyllabic reply and the deliberate nods of his head, Troy rolled his eyes and realised that he was going to have to press on with the issue if he hoped for a decent response. "What does that mean? Aren't you going to say anything else?"

"Do you want more from me?" Troy rolled his eyes again, and made to stand when Jack called for him to once again be seated. Reluctantly, he resumed his seat. "Troy, I can't tell you what you're feeling, that's for you to figure out, but from my perspective, it seems to me that you already know what you're feeling, son. It's like when you're playing - I can instruct you on what play to make, but, ultimately, you're the one on the court, and so, it has to be you're choice,"

Troy nodded solemnly. "But…what if the play I choose doesn't work out?" He asked, finding it easier to use his dad's analogy. "I could lose ball. …I _can't_ lose the ball."

"Sometimes, that's a chance you have to take." Jack said sympathetically as Troy sighed. "Everyone risks loosing it at some time or another, but, you have to follow your heart. Do you think you can keep hold of the ball and make it to the hoop? Only you can answer." At that point, Jack reached for the remote, hit the play button and returned his attention to the flat screen, feeling that he'd said all he could on the matter and that, from this point, Troy had to go it alone.

A few minutes later, Troy rose. "Thanks, Dad," he said, with a grateful smile and nod of his head.

"Not staying?" Jack asked, gesturing towards the on-going game.

"Nah." Troy said, now standing by the door. "Dad," he said, as another issue occurred to him, "Ms. Montez hasn't mentioned anything about Gabi acting funny, has she?" When his dad shook his head, his eyebrows knitted, showing his deep contemplation. Jack asked if there was a problem, and Troy replied that he wasn't sure. "I don't know, it's just that…you know how, every year, on the day Uncle died, Gabi stays home? Well, tonight she told me that she was coming to school tomorrow," his fingers drummed on the door frame. "And then when I was surprised she was acting all weird, and was all 'Why wouldn't I be coming in?'…I found it pretty strange, but I just decided to leave it."

Absorbing the information, Jack nodded, understanding Troy's concern, but then provided him with another perspective. "You know, sometimes when people have suffered grief like Gabriella has, they reach a point where they no longer want to mark that day out as a day of sadness, it's all part of the process - your Mom went through the same thing when your Grandfather passed. …If you're still worried about it, I can always mention in to Maria." Jack offered.

"No," Troy shook his head and then waved his hand, erasing the mentioned situation. "I'm probably just being over-protective. I think it's just the way that she brushed it off that made it a little weird, but I'm sure she's fine."

"If anything's wrong, I'm sure she'll talk to you."

Troy nodded proudly in agreement, loving the relationship they had. "Oh, Dad," he said, after leaving the room and returning, leaning against the doorframe. "I think Lakers lost the game on that sixteenth minute when Lebron missed that second shot just as I came in, before." He reached into his back pocket, retrieving a single bill, and held it up to his father, before placing it on the coffee table. "Five bucks says I'm right."

******

Troy's fist knocked harder against the large door as, after five minutes of knocking and calling through the letter box, there was still no sign of Gabriella.

"Where are you, Gabi?" He whispered to himself, as he cupped his hands and peered through the glass panel that ran alongside the black door. He knocked once more before giving up and walking around to the back of the house. Picking up a few small pebbles, he tossed them at the glass panes, sighing when, once again, nothing but the sounds of the flittering leaves and chirping birds, surrounded him. In the final bid to find her, he began scaling the large oak that led up to her balcony. Putting his right foot in the first groove, he jiggled his foot a little, testing the sturdiness of the branches and then started his climb. A few moments later, he swung his legs over onto the warm concrete and peered through the French window. He shook his head when she didn't appear, and pushing on the handles, confirmed his suspicion that she wasn't home, finding them locked. Running to his car, he dialled her phone frantically as he revved the engine and pulled away, in the direction of East High.

Being almost half an hour before the school day started, there wasn't that usual chatter as students milled around the parking lot, Troy appreciated this, and immediately began running around the building to the library, study rooms, and empty classes - all the places he suspected she would be.

"Shit!" Troy cursed under his breath as his body spun in frustration in the empty corridor, his hands threaded in his hair. Trying to centre himself, he closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, whispering, "Gabi, Gabi, Gabi, where are you?" As if closing his eyes had made him see more clearly, the answer came to him the second the words had left his lips. He pumped his fist in the air in jubilation. "Why didn't I see that?" he asked himself, sprinting through the halls to that familiar, inconspicuous door.

He padded up the concrete steps to the roof quietly, not wanting to alert Gabriella to his presence just yet. He could hear her light sniffles as he got closer, and his heart broke at the sound, as though her tears where droplets of acid, burning through his chest and landing directly onto his heart as it tried feebly to continue the vital pumping. His head peered through the iron bars of the banister and he saw her leaning against a railing, her hand occasionally rising to capture a tear.

"You know," he said softly as he ascended the rest of the steps and stood on the roof a few steps behind her. "If you didn't want me to find you, you should've found a better hiding place." He saw her shoulders raise slightly and he knew she was crying again.

"Sometimes," she sniffled. "You hide, but all you want more than anything is to be found." She heard Troy closing in on her, his wide steps bringing him to her side in mere seconds, and before she knew it, she was enveloped in his arms; the embrace warm and loving.

"Baby," he sighed as he bought his hand to the back of her head, gently holding it beneath his chin as his other hand stroked her back, trying to soothe her pain, slow her tears. "Baby," he cooed again. "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know," she choked honestly. She squeezed his body tighter to hers and could feel his shirt get increasingly wet with her tears. "I just…" she took a single shaky breath, focusing on the soft strokes of Troy's hand, "I felt like…I didn't want to be upset today, this year, I didn't just want to sit around crying but…I didn't want to be alone, so I thought if I came in…I just didn't want to think about it,"

"Why didn't you ask me? You know I would've stayed with you," he looked directly into Gabriella's watering eyes, the deep brown of them diluted, as she pulled back and began to regain her composure, wiping away her tears as they lessened in amount.

"I felt like, if I'd acknowledged it, then I'd be back in the same position: feeling all the things I've been trying to suppress - opening Pandora's box."

"You've got to let me in, sometimes, Gabi. I know it's hard for you; that you're afraid to get too close, sometimes and lose somebody again, I know that, but you can't always try to deal own. That's what I'm here for," He spoke earnestly, trying to impress his point.

Her eyebrows had twitched slightly when he'd mentioned her not wanting to get too close. Like most, she'd believed that her small quirks were well hidden, but once again, Troy proved just how well he knew her and it warmed her heart.

"You see?" Troy asked. When she nodded solemnly, he sighed and opened his arms to her again, kissing her forehead when she tied her arms around his waist. "I don't want you to shut me out again, Babe, you're the one person I can count on to be _one hundred _per cent honest with me, I don't want that to change - ever."

"It won't, I promise." She replied, kissing him gratefully on his jaw bone, the closest thing to his lips that she was able to reach leisurely, without stretching.

Shortly after, the detested school bell yanked Troy and Gabriella by their collars and out of their isolated world of tropical-smelling plants, feeling as though they were on top of the world. Whereas Troy didn't shift his position, Gabriella pulled away and began smooth out her wrinkled checked blouse, that had been creased due to the close proximity of her and Troy's bodies.

"Where are you going?" Troy questioned. Gabriella, misunderstanding the question, replied that she had History as her first subject, but Troy shook his head, cutting her off mid-sentence. "You think I'm letting you stay? No way. Babe, you're upset, this is a huge day for you, we can slip out, go some place quiet and--"

Gabriella asked incredulously, "You want me to skip?" her eyes fleeting below to the scene of students rushing across the grounds for their desired classroom.

Troy stared back at Gabriella, perplexed at just how 'correct' his girlfriend was. "Look, my priority is you. I'm not going to let you go down there knowing that you're just gonna be hurting. Besides, no one's expecting you to be in today anyway, so you'll hardly be missed, and if you stay, it's not like your mind will be on the work."

"And what about you? People are gonna notice that you're gone," Gabriella pointed out, her hand positioning itself on her hip.

"Like I said: you're my priority. Anyway, all that I'm going to miss today is being told the same thing that's been said the last two days, in a different way with another diagram to back it up. It's no big." Her eyes flitted around; from Troy to the kids below. As the final bell rang, Troy sighed and said, "You don't have much of a choice; either, you take my hand and we slip out, or I carry you down - and somehow I don't think that'd work out, with us needing to go unnoticed and all. It's up to you." He stated with a finality to his tone.

Skipping school wasn't in Gabriella's nature - going against any kind of rule wasn't in her nature - but she had to admit that Troy's logic was right; her mind would be drifting all day, at least if she was away from school she'd be able to express her emotions and work through them with Troy's help. She glanced at Troy, who shrugged in return, his foot patiently tapping away. Sighing, a sign of her yielding, she reached gently for Troy's hands, squealing slightly as he tugged her towards him forcefully and began sprinting down the stairs and briskly walking back through the crowds of the halls - subtly walking them in the opposite direction to all the other students. Just as they got through the front entrance, Troy cringed as he heard the voice of Chad calling him.

"Yo, Hoops!" Chad yelled, jogging over to the pair, and greeting them with a single nod of his head, his curls bouncing as he did so.

"Dude, I need you to cover for me," Troy said in a hushed tone, his hand still holding Gabriella's tightly, as though he thought that it would only take a second for Gabriella to run if he loosened his grip, so was holding on specifically tight.

"What?" Chad asked, his eyes shifting from Troy to Gabriella and back. "Where you going?" He asked suspiciously.

"I…I don't know, man. Gabi isn't doing too well, I just want to get her away from all this for a little bit. Please." He wasn't completely certain whether Chad would remember the significance of that day to Gabriella, but as Chad's eyes fell upon her, just as she wiped her hand across her cheek (removing an invisible tear), he thought he saw a flash of recognition cross the face of his best friend, who nodded at him.

"Dude, I can't risk getting another detention. You know how Ms. D's been killing us, so I can't lie for you. …The most I can do, is say that I haven't seen either of you."

"Sweet, bro." Troy replied, pumping fists with Chad in thanks before recommencing their steps and sprinting to his car; knowing the noise that would be created when he started up the engine, Troy hoped to get it started whilst there was still light raucous surrounding them, that would mask the spluttering, lurching sound.

******

The car came to an abrupt halt, Troy and Gabriella's bodies jolted forwards slightly by the motion, and apprehensively, Troy watched Gabriella through his peripheral vision, trying to ascertain how his decided destination was being accepted.

"Do…do you remember?" Troy's voice was almost a whisper as he didn't want to do or say anything that could risk waking her sleeping tear ducts. Why he had asked, he could not determine. He had been fully aware of the, almost insignificant, increase in the rate of Gabriella's breaths and the way she had began to blink faster, trying to deter her tears when the car had stopped, the memories flooding back to her.

She nodded with a gulp, playing with her hair.

Troy shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut forcefully, berating himself inside. "Umm…I'm sorry, this was a stupid idea," he began, reaching forward to start up the truck again. "We can…we can go. We can go ba--" for the first time since the car had been bought to a stop, he looked at Gabriella as she lay her soft fingers over his, that were hovering just above the keys, ready to start the ignition.

"No," she whispered, licking her bottom lip. "No, I'm okay,"

"You want to go in?" She nodded, and he took her hand, squeezing it, whilst she did her best to give him a reassuring smile that would reinforce her words.

As they crossed the threshold to the establishment, they were greeted by a small Japanese waitress, clad in a kimono, who bowed traditionally, with her palms together. "Welcome," she said, her wide smile emphasising two deep dimples that sat on either cheek. "Table for two?" She asked, raising two fingers.

Troy nodded and said thank you as she showed them to a table, wooden with a curved design, the tables contrasting with the American diner-like sofa booths, near the back of the restaurant, that had a clear view of a large fish tank. Accepting the menu's with a smile and nod, Troy looked over at Gabriella. "Gabi?" He probed tenderly.

"It hasn't changed," she replied, her voice cracking. Her head began to spin and a nauseating feeling swept over her and she raised a hand to her warming head. Suddenly, she was seven again. She was sitting next Troy, cuddled into her father's lap, who was trying to convince her to try a piece of Tuna sushi. He'd promised her that she'd like it, but she had refused, adamant that the raw fish would kill her, and poking her tongue out at Troy, who teased that she was being a baby, and, proudly dipping his sushi piece into a small pot of soy sauce, placing the food into his mouth with an overly-dramatic gesture.

_"I won't like it, can't I just have some noodles?" Gabriella whined, pouting._

_"Sweetheart, why don't you just try it, eh? You'll like it, and you can still have noodles." Alejandro compromised, laughing and pressing his daughter to his side, kissing her chocolate curls as she crossed her arms across her chest obstinately. _

_"But, it's like…raw," she said, emphasising the word 'raw'. "What if it kills me? Would it be worth it? Cuz I don't think that Mom would be too happy, do you?" her father looked at her, shaking his head at the persuasive talents that his daughter, not even eight, appeared to posses. "Please, Daddy?" She asked, having one final attempt, batting her curling lashes at him and smiling sweetly._

_"Don't try that with me, darling, Daddy's not falling for that this time. Just one piece, and then you can order anything you like. Look, Troy likes it." He pointed out._

_"We can't all be as brave as me, though, Uncle," Troy teased. "Hmmmm…isn't this sushi just soooo good? Too bad it isn't for babies." Troy mocked as he licked his lips slowly, after swallowing the remaining rice._

_"Shut up!" Gabriella scolded, sticking out her pink tongue._

"I'll be okay" Gabriella said, as Troy asked how she was. Avoiding the eyes of her boyfriend, Gabriella began perusing the menu that lay in front of her. She only looked up when she felt Troy's elbow prodding her in her side. "What?"

"Over there," his eyebrows stretched to the opposite corner of the restaurant. "Isn't that Chef…Chef…ugh, what's his name? You remember, don't you?"

"Chef Shen," Gabriella said. "That is him, isn't it?" She asked Troy, both of them studying the old face. There were many things about him that they didn't remember - his small, hunched over frame, the silver hair that had begun to thin and so had been combed in various directions to hide this fact, and finally, the large stomach - but they remembered his honest smile, the glint in his almost black eyes. It was definitely him. As Gabriella parted her lips to speak, the man in question glanced over and they locked eyes. His eyes narrowed, and flitted between the pair, and finally, he slowly began to approach them, signally to the young waitress he was talking to, that he'd been back.

"Hi," Troy said as he reached their table.

"I know you," he said, his eyes fixed on Gabriella particularly.

"We…we used to come here a lot when we were younger," Gabriella stated.

His head cocked to the side and he bought a chubby hand up to his double chin, patting it as he ran through memories in his mind. "Alex? Was your Dad's name Alex?" He asked, curiously.

"Alejandro," Gabriella corrected, her stomach tightening.

"Ah!" He cried. "That's it! Little Gabriella and Troy! You still have your father's eyes." He told Gabriella who thanked him politely while her sinking her teeth into her bottom lip again.

******

"Mr. Danforth,"

Chad groaned as Ms. Darbus called his name as he filed out of the classroom, with the rest of his friends. "I haven't got the ball, Ms. D," he said exasperatedly, "what have I done wrong now?"

Ms. Darbus waited until the class was almost empty, only Taylor, who was methodically packing her bag, remained, before she resumed her conversation; "Mr. Danforth," she said as she readjusted her turtle-shell glasses, placing them on the tip of her nose. "I merely sought to inquire about the whereabouts of your dear friend, Mr. Bolton."

"Oh," Chad replied sheepishly, unaware of the brown eyes of Taylor's that had now fixed on his back. "I haven't seen Troy, Ms. D." He held Darbus' gaze as she eyed him suspiciously, waiting for a sign that he was lying to dance across his face, but he remained steady, and after some moments, satisfied by his response, she released him.

"Danforth!"

"What, Mckessie?" Chad said, not even having to turn around to know the owner of the voice that called him with such venom.

"You don't know where Troy and Gabi are?" She asked dubiously.

"Haven't a clue," he said honestly. "Oh, quit the death glares, Taylor, I really don't know where they are." Looking about them, he pulled Taylor into an empty classroom, ignoring her protests at as his touching her. "All I know is that they aren't here, and that they don't want to be found, okay? I saw them ditching this morning, and Troy asked me to cover. I don't know where they were headed, but Gabs looked like she'd been crying,"

"Crying?" Chad nodded. "That's right! Gabriella's Dad, today's the day he died, she doesn't usually come to school."

"I guess that's why they were leaving." Chad suggested.

"You didn't blab, I'm impressed," she said with a morsel of softness to her voice.

"I have a lot of other talents you might like to know about," Chad said cockily, in a low, husky tone as he inched closer to Taylor's body.

"Oh, please, Danforth, like that'd _ever_ happen!" She rolled her eyes at his stupidity, smoothed out the creases he had put into her shirt and then, turning on her heals, walked off, leaving Chad alone in the deserted class.

"Feisty," he mumbled to himself with raised eyebrows. "I like it."

******

"Troy and Gabriella are gone," Lucille blurted out the second Maria answered the phone. "Jack just called and told me, Troy hasn't been seen in any of his classes today and we've tried calling them both and it's just ringing."

"Have you tried the house?" Maria asked, equally panicked. Had it been any other day, she would've rationally thought of all the places they could've been, but today always being a tough day for Gabriella, who remained in a fragile state when it came to her father's death, Maria's mind immediately began to think the worse; the two of them had run away, or had possibly been involved in a car crash - the same fat of her husband.

"No one's there, Jack just checked. We've asked all their friends, and nobody's seen them. God, where could they be? Today of all days, why would they do this?"

"Umm…I've just finished at the cemetery so I'll head home. You should see me in a little bit, I'll keep trying Gabriella."

******

As time went on, and the, sometimes painful, memories swam through Gabriella's brain, Gabriella moved closer to Troy, until finally, she was right next to him, her head resting on his chest, her left hand in his lap, absent-mindedly playing with the frayed denim that hung from his jeans pocket.

"Gabriella," Troy said.

Gabriella automatically focused her attention on him, knowing by the way he said 'Gabriella' (he hardly ever called her by her full name), that it was something serious.

"Can I ask you something?" He felt Gabriella nod against his chest, but she didn't look up at him. "The cemetery," he began. Feeling Gabriella's body stiffen at the mention, his stationary hand that was around her waist, began softly stroking. "Why did you stop going?" He felt rather brave, asking that question, but nevertheless was unsure whether he had travelled onto dangerous territory. Gabriella and he rarely discussed the matters surrounding the death of her father, and though they were now at a place where they would casually drop his name into a conversation in the retelling of a memory, never, did he push her to talk about him if she didn't want to. He was unable to relate to such a deep-rooted pain, unable to comprehend the fact that even the simple things could trigger a heart-wrenching, dormant hurt, so always allowed her to dictate the route of such conversations.

"He isn't there for me," she whispered after a long while. "I don't want to think of him there." A hot tear dripped off her cheek, landing on Troy's t-shirt and she lifted her hand from his pocket, placing it over the now wet spot on his shirt, feeling the heat of her tear as it burned through the material. "When we used to go, I'd always start to think of when he died; what he was thinking, whether he was in pain. It was just too hard. I don't want to remember my Dad dying, I want to think of him alive and happy; think of him playing ball, camping, making a stupid joke…" a smile pulled the edges of her lip up as she rolled her eyes at the strange humour her dad had possessed, and she chuckled lightly for the first time that day. "I need to think he's okay, that's the only way I can handle this, I can't see him as just…an empty corpse…lying there."

******

"I'm saving for a new heater, this one's shot," Troy explained on the drive home as Gabriella began fervently rubbing her arms in hope of generating heat and dispersing the goose bumps that had formed on her thin arms. "Here," Lifting a hand at a time off the steering wheel, Troy shrugged off his red hoodie, handing it too her and smiling as the mass of material draped over her, swallowing her petite torso. "Looks nice," Troy smiled. "You should keep it."

Throughout the journey, Gabriella subtly rolled her head to its side, inhaling Troy's warm scent that hung on the sleeves, hood, every crease of the hoodie. Her mind having been fogged on the journey to, she hadn't realised just how far from home they had been, and she began to feel her eyelids droop occasionally, getting heavier by the moment. She tried to speak through the tiredness, but she had a sneaking suspicion that Troy wanted her to sleep, as his responses were short, almost uninterested.

It had taken a while, but as Troy observed his lack of petrol being highlighted on his dash board, he smiled at the sound of Gabriella snoring slightly. Her breaths were like that of a child, light and airy, and he wondered what she dreamt of. Would she be able to put the pain of the day behind her and drift in to a world of perfection, where birds sung her to sleep, where her heart would continually beat with the utmost ferocity, no pain in her world to even attempt to fracture that pumping organ? He nodded to himself at that thought, sure that he dreams were a place where she'd always feel safe, where he was always beside her to insure that. There wasn't a single being in the world, he believed, that deserved happiness like Gabriella did, and he wanted to be the one to give it to her. Not in that fairytale, unrealistic way, where he'd ride in on a white horse, whisk her into his arms; it'd be real for them; they'd face everything together, as a pair; two halves of a whole that couldn't be separated. She was his girl, he, her guy and nothing and nobody was going to take that away from them.

*****

Seeing his phone vibrate on the dashboard as he stood by the gas pump, filling his thirsty truck, Troy darted to the door of his car to retrieve the item, not wanting it to disturb the still sleeping Gabriella. Anxiously, he pressed it to his ear.

"Hey…Mom," he said hesitantly, leaning against his truck, his eyes on the flickering meter.

"Troy! Oh my God, Troy!" He could hear the relief in her voice and then the muffled sound of her calling behind her, he assumed to his dad and Maria, "It's him, it's him!" followed by feet shuffling towards her and an endless amount of questions that he couldn't quite make out, being hurled at his mother. "Hold on," she told them. "Troy, where are you, where have you been? Where's Gabriella? Is she okay? Are the two of you okay?"

He took a moment to order the rambled questions in his head before he answered each in turn; "Uhh…we're almost home, Gabriella's asleep in the truck, she's fine, it's been a long day and she's real tired, that's all. I'm sorry if we worried you, we're fine. Gabriella was upset this morning so we…"

"You acted irresponsibly and put us through hell!" Jack yelled. From the clarity in his deep voice, Troy realised that the call had been put onto loudspeaker.

"Jack," he heard his mother say, trying to calm the raging man. "We can deal with that later. Troy," Lucille said, addressing Troy once more. "Hurry up and get home, we want both of you here so we can discuss this, okay?" her voice was harsher than it had been before, the relief ebbing slightly.

"Yes, Mom." Troy mumbled, closing his phone and sighing, before pulling the tube from the mouth of his truck.

Once back in the car, Troy let out an exhausted sigh. If he were to be honest, he'd admit that he hadn't made the slightest consideration for the worry their parents, Maria especially, would be enduring. Was it selfish of him to have only considered Gabriella, when their parents were running about town, leaving endless messages and praying for their safe return? He guessed it was. In the pit of his stomach, he began to feel ill; guilt pains as he called it. He'd just have to hope that their parents would see that, beneath it all, he had good intentions and would go easy on him when it came to dishing out his punishment. Beside him, as he revved the engine, Gabriella stirred; her sniffling noises alerting Troy to her waking.

"Ummm…" she mumbled as her eyes tried to open, once, twice, on the third occasion finally succeeding. "Hmm…we home?" she asked groggily.

"Nah. Not far, though. I had to stop and get gas. My Mom called," he said. When he had pulled out of the school parking lot so many hours before, he had confiscated Gabriella mobile, informing her that it was against the strict laws of skipping school, to accept any calls.

"They mad?" She asked, her head still tilted on its side as she'd had to summon enough energy to move.

"Well…" she inhaled deeply, bracing herself for news of their parents' tirade. "My Dad was, but more than anything I think they were just happy we were okay. I think they'll understand, though, once we explain." He said, trying to pacify them both.

******

Pulling into Gabriella's street, Troy suddenly began to silently channel for his car to break down, buying them a little more time before facing the parents. He would defend his actions, and stand by his decision no matter what, but he still was dreading his punishment.

"Troy," Gabriella said quietly as the truck slowed, easing its way into a vacant space between two cars fitting into the snug space. "I wanted you to know that… thank you for today, I really feel like…like, this is the day I needed to have, to feel like I can really start to handle it, ya know? So, thanks,"

"I'm glad. I know it couldn't have been easy for you, and I wasn't sure I was doing the right thing, but…I thought it'd be nice to remember some of the old times; at the diner, the batting cages, y'know…"

"Troy…I…" she paused. "I love you." Gabriella said, the words tumbling out of her mouth before her brain was engaged enough to consider the repercussions, her eyes as stunned as Troy's as the words sounded. Silence filled the car, and Troy began to stutter, but she cut him off; "I'm not saying it because I want you to say it back - though I'm not saying I _don't_ want you to, if you want to I'd be totally okay with that -" she rambled, playing with her hair as she spoke; fixing it into a ponytail, pulling the band out and then plaiting it. "I'm saying it because…well, that's what I feel and I really needed you today and you were there - you've always been there - I'm not afraid of asking for help anymore, and…I think that's what I love is… isn't it?"

He wasn't quite sure whether her question was of the rhetorical kind, his mind focusing more on the rush of heat that surged through his body as she said she loved him. His body tingled all over like a severe case of pins and needles, but, unlike the usual kind, these pins and needles he didn't want to curse, to banish them from his body, he wanted them to rush over him forever, if that's what love felt like. He never wanted to feel the tingles stop or even begin to abate, his only hope was that they would get stronger, and would always run through him for the girl that sat on the seat opposite; his best friend. "Are you sure?" He asked, giving her time to recall the statement before he got used to the unusually high level of happiness he was experiencing.

"That I love you?" She asked. He nodded, turning his head to the window for a split second while he cringed at how stupid the question must've sounded. "Yeah…I am." She concluded, her voice more certain and steady that before. "I love you, Troy." She repeated for good measure.

He lunged across to her, planting a soft kiss on her lips, one that soon turned heated; his tongue probing gently inside her mouth, caressing hers. As they kissed, the sound of their smacking lips echoing in the truck, Troy coiled an arm around Gabriella's shoulder, bringing her body closer to his as she threaded her slim fingers through his hair, allowing them to get tangled into the brown mass. "God, Ella, I love you too," he breathed once they had separated, their faces only inches apart. "I love you so much, I don't even know how to describe it," Gabriella smiled at him, nodding, letting him know that she too was stumped for words to describe the emotions that ruled her. "I didn't know until last night, when I almost said it…it just felt…_right_…but I was afraid I'd lose you, I didn't want to scare you off. But, God, Gabi, I love you too." He repeated, hugging her again with vigour as those three words continued to fall out of his mouth.

******

They entered the house, presenting a united front as they approached the living room, the glaring eyes greeting them.

"Gabi!" Maria yelled, sprinting forward to embrace her daughter.

"I'm sorry," Gabriella said immediately, seeing the stress-induced dark circles around her mother's, usually flawless, eyes. "I am, I really am."

"What the _hell_ were you thinking? Today of all days, are you completely stupid?" Jack asked, clearly placing all the blame at Troy who he glared at as he spoke. So angered was he by the lack of though displayed by his son, that he couldn't even yell, his voice just low, steady, fixed.

"I wasn't Troy's fault," Gabriella cut in before Troy could answer. Seeing the disbelieving look on Jack's face, she turned her speech to her mother and Lucille, trying to get them to reason; "Really, it wasn't. He was just trying to help, doing what he thought was right." Her voice dropped as she continued in Troy's defence. "I tried to go to school today, I don't know why, but I did, and…it would have been horrible had I stayed, I would've just been crying and I wouldn't have focused so Troy said we should just get away from it for a bit, that it'd make me feel better. I didn't have to say yes, it was my decision to go with him, so, if anything, we should both get the blame." She stepped back to where Troy was stood, hands in pocket, occasionally glancing at his father, trying to see whether Gabriella's protests were helping him, showing that they were in it together.

"So where were you guys?" Jack inquired, his air seeming calmer.

Gabriella looked over to Troy, slightly nodding. "We went to a bunch of places that Uncle used to take us to," Troy said. Though he found it too weird to call Maria 'Aunt' after he and Gabriella had started dating, he never ceased referring to Alejandro as his uncle, feeling that, as he was no longer here, it was his duty to acknowledge the sacred relationship the two of them had, and let the world know just how much Alejandro had meant to him. "That Japanese diner, the batting cages and some other places. We've never been back since he passed and I thought that…I thought maybe Gabi would like it." He smiled slightly at Gabriella, before returning his eyes to his father, whose visage had softened remarkably since they had first entered.

"It was really nice, Ma," Gabriella said with a sigh. "It bought back a lot of memories."

"Well…maybe we should all go back there, some time," her mother suggested, seeing the difference in her daughter. They usually found it too painful to openly acknowledge the day, so in previous years, neither would speak about what they had done to mark the day; they would ask each other if they were okay, and then, satisfied with the answer, would move on, repeating the same tedious performance each year.

"I'd like that." Gabriella replied.

******

"Bolton and Montez down," Chuckled Jack as he tilted his head towards Troy and Gabriella who were asleep on the floor, their backs resting against the cream sofa behind them. "You know," he started as the females laughed and rolled their eyes at the teens in slumber. "So much has changed in the past few years. In fact, it seems like everything's changed - from the tiniest things to the huge ones - but, when you look at them like that," he inclined his head to the side again, scratching the side of his neck. "Both asleep after eating," as Maria hadn't cooked, they had suggested ordering in, and Troy and Gabriella had both voted for pizza, claiming that nothing else would satisfy them. "Empty boxes beside them, Troy with his arm around Gabriella, it makes it feel like nothing at all has changed, don't you think?" He paused as Maria and Lucille murmured in agreement. "That's exactly how they've always been, we could be looking at them as two five year olds right now. It makes all the other changes easier, when you see little things like that." He shrugged and then sighed before turning back to his pizza slice in silence.

******

"Troy, sweetie," Lucille said softly as she crouched over he son who was snoring, his mouth slightly open. It had been discovered a while ago that Jack, his voice deep and sometimes harsh, was incapable or rousing someone gently, so Lucille always got that task. "Troy," she called again, this time shaking him softly with her arm on his shoulder.

"Ugh," Troy moaned, turning away from the disturbing voice and subconsciously tightening his arm around Gabriella, pulling her flush against his chest while his face buried into her strawberry-scented curls.

"Troy," Lucille added a little harshness to her tone, realising that Troy, as tired as he was, was not going to be stirred if she continued to use her current softly-softly approach. "Time to go, wake up,"

Moaning loudly, Troy huffed, turning his head to face his mother. Her image, as he squinted through his puffy, stinging eyes, was blurred before him, so he relied solely on his ears to receive the information.

"It's late, Troy, it's time to go, okay?"

Troy nodded. Beside Troy, Gabriella, conscious of the low chatter, slowly awoke, blinking a few times to bring the room and those around her - her mother, Troy's parents, the TV - everything - into focus. She only caught the end of Troy and his mother's exchange - Troy saying he'd collect his car in the morning - but she gathered that they were leaving, her assumption confirmed when Lucille, noticing her awake, quietly said: "We'll be outside, you can say goodbye." She then hugged Gabriella, and followed her husband (who repeated the same affectionate act) and Maria out to the drive, giving the two their privacy.

"Hey," Troy whispered, clearing his throat as he cringed at how hoarse his voice sounded after the sleep.

"Hi," Gabriella replied, her head still against his chest as she smiled adoringly at him. "What time is it?"

"I don't know…late." His speech was interrupted when a huge yawn ripped through him as though his body was agreeing with him and asking for sleep. "I'm going to leave me truck here, I'll come get it when I pick you up tomorrow."

"Kay," Gabriella sighed, kissing his cheek quickly. Troy smiled down at her and stroked his fingers through her tussled hair softly. "I know you're just going to say not to worry about it again," Gabriella began. "And I know I keep saying it, but, really, thank you for today, you have no idea what it meant to me."

"I only want you to be happy, babe, what I did today was nothing." He said earnestly, kissing her forehead.

"You reckon you'll get in trouble tomorrow at school?" She inquired, feeling slightly guilty once more.

"Nah," Troy said dismissively, lifting his shoulders slowly in a tired shrug. "Being the coach's son does _occasionally_ have its perks." He laughed.

A beep floated through into the living room, Gabriella laughing. "Go on," she said. "You don't want your alibi to change his mind," she teased. "I'm sure we'll manage, we'll see each other in about six hours."

"That isn't enough, I think I may actually come get you early, just so I can see you sooner." He said jokingly, but with an underline pain, derived from the idea of separation, in his voice.

"Translation: The earlier I get you, the longer we can make out in the parking lot." Gabriella quipped.

"Can't blame me." Troy shrugged. "I really better leave." He chuckled. "Same time tomorrow?" Gabriella nodded, though she knew the question was rhetorical. "Love you." Troy said in a low voice, as though, the lower he said it, the more private and meaningful it would seem.

"I love you too." Gabriella replied in a similar whisper before smiling as Troy's lips descended on hers for a kiss; tender and sweet.

******

"Good morning, beautiful," Troy cooed as Gabriella slipped gracefully into the passenger's seat beside him.

"Good morning to you," Gabriella chirped, leaning over to press a brief kiss to his lips.

"Good night?" He asked, ignoring Gabriella as she scoffed and reminded him that they'd last seen each other at 1 a.m. He'd waited to see her all night, tossing and turning in his sleep in anticipation, waiting to hear her say those three words again, hoping she hadn't woken in regret.

"Yeah. At first, no," she said, before seeing the slight panic on Troy's face and continuing quickly as she pulled the seat belt across her form. "After you left, I was feeling like…ridiculously happy, right? But then I started to feel bad for feeling happy - which is pretty humorous when you consider that the whole thing yesterday started because I _didn't_ want to feel bad. Anyway, I dreamt of Dad," she smiled and looked over at Troy.

"Yeah? Was it an old memory or…"

"See, that's the thing: it wasn't. It was me as I am now and him how I guess he'd look now - he didn't look that much older - and we weren't doing anything super cool, we were just hanging…driving around."

"That's nice, sometimes the simple dreams are the best, I think." Troy smiled, nodding. Gabriella motioned to the clock and he pulled away from the curb, starting the drive towards the school.

"I think…I think it was my Dad, telling me to be happy. I've always tried to dictate my feelings - when I should be happy, when I should be sad - but life isn't like that, and I think that's what he wanted me to see: you can never predict where life's going to take you, so, just go along with the ride. I felt really good when I woke up, I did." She beamed letting out a satisfactory sigh as she twirled a strand of hair between her nimble fingers.

"So…what were you 'ridiculously happy' about?" Troy said with a smug smirk.

"Oh…just some guy," Gabriella teased, laying her hand upon his thigh and leaning into him as the car stopped at a red light.

"Some guy?" Troy echoed.

"Uh-huh," Gabriella nodded and said, with the utmost nonchalance, "I realised that I kinda love him."

"Ahh…cool." Troy replied, a devilish smile on his lips as his heart thumped almost painfully against his chest.

* * *

_...And you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles... _lol

The big ILY's. Hope I did it justice :)


	13. Seventeen: The Storm

**A/N Firstly, I want to thank _runninequalslife _and _laughXoutXloud_ for their feedback and helping me_ tweak._  
****This chapter's pretty long, but I hope not tedious! You guys have been slacking on the reviews a little so get typing and tell me what you think!  
Originally, when I planned this story, it was going to be two chapters for each year of their life. Now, however, as they get older, it's virtually IMPOSSIBLE to keep to that, so expect roughly six chapters for this year of the rest of their years...if my words can be contained that is! lol  
ENJOY! REVIEW!**

**Rated M for strong language and sexual scenes**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

After throwing her flustered mother her keys and travel documents - passport, driver's licence - Gabriella sighed as her mother paused in front of her, knowing the question she was about to ask.

"Are you sure--" she was interrupted by the blaring car horn, beckoning from outside, but she ignored it. "Are you sure that you don't want me to ask Taylor's mom if you can stay? You know that Carol wouldn't mind. How about Lucille? I could call--"

"Mom," Gabriella stressed the title exasperatedly. "I'm seventeen. I'll be in college next year. I think I can handle two days on my own without burning the house down, or causing any other disaster, okay? Really, you're only in New York - it's _hardly_ the other side of the world."

"You're sure?" Maria asked, her eyebrows pulling up.

"Yes, Mother, I am sure. If it makes you feel better, if I start to freak out being on my own - which is not going to happen - I'll go stay with Aunt Lucille and Uncle J, 'kay?" Before her mother could respond, Gabriella said, "Mom, the driver's about to leave… go! I'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay, okay." She grabbed up her bag, told Gabriella where the emergency contact details where and then hugged her tightly once they had walked out to the front step, the September morning air, crisp, vitalising. "Love you, sweetie,"

"Love you too, Ma. Enjoy."

"Sure, I'll enjoy every second of the number-crunching." She joked. "Okay, I'm coming." She called over to the driver, waving a hand telling him that his incessant tooting was unnecessary.

As she climbed into the black car, smiling at the driver whose, slim, pale face she could see in the reflection of his mirror, she rolled her window down, waving at Gabriella as the distance between them increased.

"Bye!" Gabriella called, Maria blowing kisses in response.

"That your little girl?" The driver's surprisingly deep voice queried.

"Uh-huh," Maria answered proudly, unable to see a little more that a dot of her daughter's form. "Seventeen. First time staying on her own."

"Oh!" He said, his deep chuckled vibrating in his chest. "Better be careful." He warned, "The first time my wife and I left our eldest girl - was the same age as yours is now - we came back a little earlier than she expected and found her boyfriend in our kitchen in nothing but his boxers." He shook his head gravely, as he turned the car down onto a busy main road.

"Oh, no," Maria replied. "I have no worries with Gabriella, she's a good girl."

"Yeah," he laughed disbelievingly and then, the car stuck in traffic and not moving, he turned for the first time to look at Maria, his right arm stretching over the back of the passenger's seat, aiding his balance. "My girl was class president, best grades in her school." He laughed as Maria's face struck with panic, her eyes widening ever so slightly, her head swivelling to look out of the back window, as though she were contemplating turning back and demanding Gabriella skip school and come with her. "Anyway, you probably trust your girl, no one's to say all kids are the same."

******

Knowing it was Troy before she even saw his face, Gabriella said, "You're early." As the door swung open.

"I wanted to say goodbye to your Mom but…" he paused, peering around the house, listening out for sounds to detect another presence. "Damn!" he said dramatically, his right arm, hooked at the elbow, swinging across to the left side of his body, emphasising his annoyance at having missed Maria. "Looks like I'm too late," he sighed, Gabriella rolling her eyes. "I really wanted to get here early enough."

"You're such a liar." Gabriella scoffed, watching him smirk as she gripped the front of his plain navy t-shirt, slammed the door shut and smashed her soft lips to his and, as his arms circled her small waist, lifting her feet from the ground and walking, without their lips breaking contact, to the living room, wasted no time in slipping her silky tongue between his lips, flicking it over his with frantic need.

******

Settled a sofa arms, Gabriella slowly brushed her frazzled curls, repositioning her white daisy hair decoration as she went. She heard Troy, who stood across the room gazing lovingly at her as she carried out this mundane activity, suddenly hiss, drawing in a sharp breath.

"What's wrong?" she asked, turning to face him, her hand suspended in mid-air as her brushing motion stopped.

Snaking his hand slowly under his t-shirt, wincing as he did so, he replied, "You scratched me." And raised the crumpled material of his shirt, folding it up along side, showing her the scrape that ran almost along the entire length of his right side, alongside his ribs, a few tiny bubbles of blood visible as they rose to the surface of his skin.

"Sorry," she blushed.

"You really wanted to see me, huh?" he teased.

Shrugging awkwardly, she replied in a mumbled, "I missed you." And Troy chuckled and muttered under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear: "Kinda kinky." But, feeling embarrassed enough, she let the comment go, not wanting to pursue the issue.

******

"You're such a goody-goody, Gabriella," Sharpay admonished from across the circular table. "What's the point of your Mom being away if you're not going to use the house?"

They were hardly the best of friends, but as Sharpay and Zeke always seemed to be together, the group had made a stringent effort to be, at the very least, courteous, and this effort resulted in them deciding Sharpay was actually tolerable - in small doses.

Rapture filled the lunchroom, with everybody from Freshman to Seniors, Jocks to Punks inhabiting the eating area, exchanging tales about their classes, dreaded teachers and tedious assignments. Within their group, however, the only interesting topic was Gabriella having her house to herself; they all seemed to have individual plans for what use the house could be put to, and each expressed grave disappointment when Gabriella refused them all.

"I don't care what you guys say, or call me, I'm not having a party - and, no, Chad," she added discarding the crusts of her sandwich, stuffing them into her brown paper lunch sack. "Calling it a _'gathering' _is not going to make me change my mind, 'kay?"

"Dude, come on," Jason said to Troy. "Help us out, use those puppy-dog eyes on her."

Laughing, Troy shook his head. "Don't get me involved," he said. "It's Gabi's decision, if she doesn't want one then…" he shrugged. "Whatever. It's up to her." He received a glare from each guy on the table, each of them sending him telepathic signals, calling him names that amounted to the same thing: traitor. But Troy didn't care, he simply turned to Gabriella, who was quirking her eyebrows smugly at the boys, and said, "If you're ready, I'll walk you to English."

Saying goodbye to the group, Gabriella poking her pink tongue out as Jason coughed unsubtly, "Saint.", the two of them exited the lunchroom, their arms locked around each other, Troy whispering into her ear.

Arriving a few minutes early, Gabriella decided to linger at her locker. "God, Troy," she complained, her walnut eyes swivelling in her head. "You sound _just_ like my mother. Yes, I'm going to be fine. No, I won't leave a door unlocked and get murdered in my sleep. Jeez, anyone would think I was some ditzy blonde or something."

"Hey, I'm not underestimating you, I just want you to be safe." Troy said as he slumped his shoulder against a neighbouring locker, gazing imploringly into Gabriella's eyes, stretched a hand forward, cupped her cheek and grazed his thumb over her left cheek-bone.

Sighing into his touch, her head lolled to the side, falling even more into his palm. "I know, but you guys seem to be worrying more than I am. I'd understand if I were twelve or something, but…I mean, I'll be able to vote by next year. Like I told Mom, if I start feeling weird, I'll come right over, 'kay?" she stretched up onto the toes of her pink ballet flats, kissing him softly in a reassuring manner.

"'Kay." Troy mumbled, still not completely happy with her compromise. "Promise me. You heard the weather today, right? They're expecting heavy rain."

Sliding her arm into her locker, pulling out her three work books and slipping them in her arm, Gabriella shut the door of her locker before returning her attention to Troy. "I love you, babe, but this has to stop. They said heavy rain, not torrential thunder storms." With a final quick kiss, she strolled away, ready for English.

"Love you, too!" Troy called before she was too far away to hear, laughing as she blew a kiss over to him and then merged with the crowd as they trailed into the classroom.

******

The wind was like a vicious howl sounding from a pack of hungry wolves intimidating their prey; the scrape of their untamed claws against the glass windows that would give way at any second.

It wanted her.

Throwing her protective comforter off of her trembling body, Gabriella leapt off her bed, sprinted to the bedroom door and bounded down the stairs, the pounding of her heart increasing each time the thunder and lightening snarled at each other, bared their jagged silver teeth and took another blow. Her breaths were rapid as she reached for the house phone, her frenzied fingers flying over the keys as she dialled Troy's number. She pressed it to her ears, whimpering as nothing happened. Trying three more times only to get the same result, exasperatedly, she threw she black phone against the back of the sofa. The lines were dead. Snapped twigs clinging to their parent trees, thrashed against the glass panes and Gabriella shrieked, as the lights within the house and the street-lamps flickered angrily.

The weather forecasts had forewarned that heavy rain was on it's way, and that hadn't bothered Gabriella in the slightest. The rain had started, a light patter falling down, the streets glowing as the rain twinkled in the light of the houses and streetlamps, and even as it grew heavier, she remained calm, not seeing anything to be panicked about. Peacefully, she climbed into bed when the mood took her, sending Troy a quick text as promised, telling him that she was okay, and slowly lulled into sleep. A growl of thunder arose her, her eyebrows furrowing as she saw the heavy rain streaming thickly down her windows, shrieking when the house shook at the sight of the raging lightening. She's tried to ignore it, cowering under her sheets to block it out, but it had proved futile; it seemed to get louder, stronger, more vicious as she put her mind against it.

******

Sitting anxiously on the edge of his bed, Troy had tapped his foot constantly for the last twenty minutes waiting to see if the storm would dissipate, taking along with it, his worries for Gabriella. The wind's howling came again with a vengeance, and Troy, tired of sitting around and stressing himself, finally rose from his bed. Pulling on a pair of jogging bottoms and a t-shirt that lay strewn across his desk chair (with the lack of light, he was unable to make out the colour of either items), he bent over, stretching his hand forward to grab the first foot of his trainer, but it fell through the darkness. "Shit!" he murmured as the lights finally went out, so instead having to crawl about squinting, until his hands grasped the desired items.

He ignored the rain as it beat furiously down on him, only caring that his running against it seemed to slow down his conquest to get to Gabriella. Thankfully, being a house he knew so well, he had no trouble finding it - even in the dark.

"Shit!" he cursed again as the latch to the back gate slipped through his fingers, testing his patience. Finally getting it open, he darted across the lawn, hunching his back, his hands flying protectively over his head as the lightening struck a near-by tree in a house a few doors down from Gabriella's, the tree crashing to the ground with a crack. He knew there was no use calling - she would never hear him with such a racket being created - so he ran straight for the tree that led to her balcony. It took him a while to get his climb started - unable to get a steady footing, his fingers at first incapable of staying in the slippery grooves. After a treacherous climb, he jumped over the railings onto her balcony, and tapped loudly on the door.

******

She had heard a loud thump, but had stayed fixed in her position under the comforter, sure that it was just another branch hitting the floor of her balcony, but then she'd heard a tap. At first just one tap - easy to phase out - but then it grew, the sound insistent. Gradually, she pulled the comforter away, her head raising, afraid. Adjusting her eyes as well as she could to the deficiency, she tried to distinguish the shape, shrieking when she saw the blurry outline of a person's body. As she yelped, lightening flashed, revealing a pair of blue eyes behind the glass, illuminated with shock at the close proximity of the silver bolt.

"Troy!" she yelled, surprised and relieved, as she climbed out of bed, detangled the sheets that had trapped her in her hurry, and ran over to the door, flicking the lock and pulling Troy inside, wrapping her arms around his wet body, his saturated clothes seeping water as she squeezed him. "Oh my God…thank you." She said, frightened tears still streaming down her flushed cheeks.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's all right, I'm here, it's okay." He cooed in her ear as she continued to grip with extreme force.

"I was so scared." She whimpered. "I was so scared and I-I tried to call, I did, but the lines…the lines were dead and then my phone wasn't getting any signal and after that …the lights…God I love you."

"I love you too." He said, kissing her cheek repeatedly as he held her.

Finally she pulled back, and her eyes had adjusted enough for her to see Troy. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, it takes more than some rain to get me." He joked, kissing her quickly on her lips.

"Are…how…I don't want you to get in trouble."

"Hey, my parents sleep like the dead, you know that. Don't you remember all the noise we used to make when you'd stay over when we were younger? They wouldn't shift a bit." he laughed, remembering those times. "They won't be up till my Dad wakes for his run," he shrugged, "I've got a ton of time, it's not even one, yet. …Your flashlight work?" He said as his eyes glanced around the pitch black room.

"Umm…yeah…under my bed, but…I couldn't find it."

"Kay," he mused. He inched them close to the bed, careful not to bump into anything and then fell to his knees. "I think we need to get you a smaller bed, Gabi." He groaned as the top half of his body disappeared under the bed in search of the light source.

It took him a whole seven minutes to locate the item, the old board games under her bed hindering his effort. Finally, with a cheer, he pulled the item out, and crawled from under the bed.

"It better work after all that." Gabriella joked, remarkably calm even in the darkness with the knowledge that Troy was right there beside her; her protector.

"And on the seventh day," Troy said, blowing the head of the torch for good measure, even though he couldn't see any dust. "God said…" he positioned his finger over the switch, Gabriella giggling at his show. "Let…there…be…light!" In true comedic irony, the flashlight illuminated and at the exact same time, a jolt was heard as the power was restored, the light from the torch seeming insignificant.

Gabriella snorted with uncontrollable laughter.

"No way! I can't freakin' _believe_ that." Troy moaned, taking the torch and dropping it by his feet. He turned to Gabriella, and his lips slowly stretched into a broad smile, followed by rumbling laughter as she held her stomach, tears streaming as she laughed. It was as though all the tension, fear and apprehension that had built within her was now being released in her bouts of infectious laughter.

Still breathing heavily from the giggles, Gabriella looked at Troy. "Oh God," she said, springing up. "You're soaked, look at you."

Troy honestly hadn't noticed, but the second she bought it to his attention, he began to shiver with the cold.

"I'll get you a towel and some dry stuff." She returned a few moments later, a grey towel in hand, tossing it across the room to him as she turned her back, kneeling by her chest-of-drawers and rummaging around for suitable, unisex, bottoms and a top for him to wear.

So involved she had been in finding him warm, dry clothing, she hadn't heard the sound of his waterlogged bottoms falling to the floor, his t-shirt following soon after.

"You can wear--" her speech died, her brain unable to function and provide her with the rest of her sentence. "Uhh…" In the blaring light, Troy stood in nothing but his boxers; blue and plaid. Her heart raced unsustainably, her mouth running dry at the sight of his bare arms, chiselled chest. The head-rush and shallow breaths were something that she'd never experienced. It wasn't the first time she'd seen Troy in boxers - they'd shared baths together in the pass, but they were so much younger, the resulting feeling so drastically different. Slowly, she tread towards him, trying to clear her mind from all the impure thoughts that flooded it, there suddenly seeming to be an insufficient amount of space in her brain to process these new emotions…urges. "Here." She whispered, barely audible.

It was as if a magnet, a force larger than ever before, was pulling them slowly together. As her hand continued to inch forward, handing him the clothing, Troy, equally as silent, reached his forward, laying it on her waist and lowered his head slightly. Gabriella's fingers opened of its own accord, her brain was too focused on the coming kiss to also control them, and the top and bottoms flopped to the floor, her hand then raising, resting gingerly on his bare shoulder.

Their lips finally locked, Troy imprisoning Gabriella's lips softly with his own, as his other palm cupped her cheek and the soft kiss heightened to new levels, a raging passion neither had experienced before channelling into the kiss. The hand that had previously been fixed to Gabriella's waist, slowly began to travel, moving further down, brushing the silky skin of her legs. For the first time as Troy's hand explored her, she was in nothing but a t-shirt of his that fell just half-way down her calf, but Troy, deep in the moment, didn't let this detail detract from the intention of his groping hand, inching his palm further up the hem of his tee, until it wrapped around Gabriella's pert butt.

A moan filled the room, but neither were able to distinguish whose it was, their simultaneous moans and whimpers pouring into each others' mouths as their tongues devoured one another. The two pairs of feet began to clumsily shuffle backwards towards the bed, their lips joined all the way, where Troy slowed his kisses for a mere second, taking care to lower Gabriella gently onto the mattress. Many times before they'd been in this same position of Troy cautiously balancing his weight while Gabriella lay beneath him, but they had developed an unsaid rule where the said situation only ever took place in the living room, a safe zone, as they saw it, where there was no danger of things going any further. Tonight, however as Troy's hand squeezed Gabriella's underwear-clad bottom, the tips of his fingers occasionally slipping under the cotton, grazing her bare butt, and she caressed his naked torso, her hands fascinated by his hard nipples and the trail of hair that led from his navel, all rules seemed to be out.

"Troy," Gabriella panted as his lips worked down to her neck, his hands inching the shirt up until her striped boy shorts were disclosed. As her top moved higher, she moaned as Troy shuffled down the bed, his lips suckling on the exposed skin of her flat stomach. "Hmm…" she whimpered. "Troy…" Her hands threaded through his damp hair.

"God you're so fuckin' beautiful," Troy grunted as Gabriella wrapped her arms around her own body, lifting the hem of her t-shirt, slowly pulling it over her head and discarding it onto the floor.

She had noticed that even in his hormonal state, he had not wanted to push her, and so had rolled her shirt up to her breast, but hadn't lifted it any higher, allowing her to remove the item had she chosen to do so.

"I could say the same for you." She whispered as she eyed his sweating body. A string of curses flowed from Troy's mouth as Gabriella softly pushed him off of her, her body now laying on top of his. It seemed highly unfair to her that all she could offer was the treat of her roaming hands, so she had decided to flip their positions, Troy now being the one whose body was being dusted with kisses, nips, and suckles.

"Gabi," he panted breathlessly. He didn't know what had changed between them, what emotions had been released, but that was the least of his worries as she gazed up at him in nothing but her underwear, his flesh softly taken between her teeth. "…Ugh!" he groaned as her tongue dipped into his belly button.

From her position on top of him, she could feel, and see, for that matter, his hardened member, pressing into the top of her inner-thigh, the pressure of it both strangely comforting and arousing. Her arms either side of his head, she bent down, kissing him softly, fervently, his manhood shifting slightly as they moved and prodding her directly in the sacred spot between her legs.

For almost five minutes, his hands had been fascinated with the clasp of her bra, his thumb slipping under it and rubbing the material between his fingers.

"It's okay," she said, knowing that he was holding back. She resumed the kissing, his head held between her two hands, and soon after she heard the clasp snap open. They both paused for a second, Gabriella pulling back and staring Troy deep in the eyes before she slowly lifted her left arm, pushing the right strap down and then repeating the process on the other side, Troy twitching beneath her as she did so, flipping them over so he could take the treasured mounds between his lips.

******

"Gabi," Troy huffed as Gabriella's lips fixed onto his neck.

"No…no…" she pleaded. "Don't stop…I'm okay…don't stop."

Using iron will, he pushed his body off of hers that was writhing on the mattress, a light layer of sweat glistening on her nude body. "We…we… can't--"

"I want to," she replied, desperately, her attempts to pull his body back to cover hers futile, her arms feeling too weak.

"Gabriella," Troy said sternly, still hovering over her. "I don't…I don't have anything…any… protection." He whispered, embarrassed, feeling as though he let her down as her head flopped dejectedly back onto the floral pillow that lay under her, her eyes fluttering closed with the disappointment. "I'm sorry," he whispered lifting his body off of her, and swinging his legs over the edge of her bed, his feet flat on the ground as he dropped his head into his palms and exhaled a deeply as his erection stared up, tormenting him. "Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, shit!" the words coming out muffled as he spoke into his palm.

"Troy,"

"I could go get some." He suggested energetically, his head spinning to look at her, still naked and not the slightest bit self-conscious. "I could…" his eyes began to quickly scan the room locating his clothes. "I could go and…I'd be--"

"Troy," Gabriella shook her head sadly. "It's a half passed one in the morning, kay? Where exactly are you planning on buying condoms?"

"I don't know." He sighed, sinking back onto the bed. "I just…don't know. Fuck." He murmured his favourite word again, feeling as though nothing else would befit the situation.

"Maybe…" Gabriella started hesitantly. "Maybe…You've had a lot of basketball practice. You've got a whole lot of testosterone running 'round your body now, that was probably what…_this_… was all about. Your body doesn't know what to do with it. Just like Mr. Warner told us the other day in Health." It was in her nature to find a logical answer for everything, even in such a situation. The truth was, however, is that she wanted what almost happened just as much as Troy did - her bodies way of displaying it (though she was acutely aware of her arousal) was much more subtle than Troy's. It hadn't been something they'd spoken about, but she knew that it was right at that moment, nothing was holding her back.

"Trust me," he replied sulkily. "My body knows _exactly_ what to do with it." His head snapped up, "Wait, what did you just say?"

"Huh?"

"Health. You mentioned Health!" his frustration was evident as he rolled his eyes. "'Take one and pass it along'. Ringing any bells? Jesus, Gabi, please tell me you took one the other day, please." He'd let go of all his morals, and was literally begging. "Please."

"I…umm…I did but--"

"Where?"

"You want me to remember what bag I bought to school a week ago?" she asked incredulously.

"I'm _dying_ here, Ella, I feel like I'm about to explode."

As the words left his mouth, Gabriella's eyes involuntarily flickered down to his straining organ, which truly did look on the brink of exploding, her own organ pounding uncontrollably at the sight, in sync with her throbbing heart. "The grey one," she suddenly remembered, squeezing her legs together to try and alleviate the pulsation. "The one with the tassels."

Troy didn't care much for the state of her bag by that stage. He picked it up, emptying its load onto Gabriella's hard wood floor and rummaged through he pile, searching for a bright red package (she had told him what colour to look for, hoping it would speed up the process). He paused when he found it, his weight still down on his right knee as he fingered the small foil. The circumstance seeming unreal, he waited for his alarm to ring at any moment and wake him from this bizarre dream. It never came. "Here," Troy said quietly as he stood, walking over to the bed where Gabriella chewed the inside of her lip apprehensively. He set it on the pillow beside them - easy access - and slowly sat gazing at Gabriella, willing her to break the silence.

She let out a single bemused chuckle, feeling just as perplexed as Troy. Twirling a strand of hair between her fingers, she glanced up at him, let her eyes fall into her lap, and then looked up one more time. "Are we really gonna do this?" she asked quietly.

"Only if you want to." He replied hastily, clearing his throat nervously as his hand scratching the back of his blushing neck while he waited for her response.

Tentatively, she leaned forward, her hand on his knee. "Kiss me." She replied without a hint of embarrassment. Troy was back on top of her within seconds, kissing, groping just as they had before, his arousal getting more prominent and harder for him to contain as she tentatively ran her fingers down the length of his hard shaft.

A short while after, Gabriella asked shyly: "Does it…you know…umm…fit?" when Troy had rolled the red rubber carefully down his appendage, taking care not to split it.

He'd stared down at it for a while before he answered, twisting his head at various angles to ensure that it had been correctly put on. "Umm…I…I don't know…I think so." He said, sounding unsure for the first time that night - or early morning. "What do you think? It looks okay… doesn't it?"

Gabriella blushed, glancing down at it again to help Troy in his assessment. "I…wouldn't really know but…I guess it looks okay. …Everything seems to…be…in." she said tactfully.

"Right." He leaned down, kissing her again, this kiss softer than much of the previous ones had been. "You…ready?" he whispered.

In her naivety, she failed to understand what he had meant, answering, "Yes. Troy, I told you, I want this."

"No," Troy corrected, her eyebrows furrowing. "I mean…are you…you know…" he did everything he could not to say the word, cringing at how it may sound, but he soon realised that there was no way around it, so bought his lips to her ear and whispered, "Wet?"

She gulped at the question, and released a sharp breath. She hadn't known that such a simple word, that lone, insignificant syllable, could have such a profound effect upon her, upon her body. She closed her eyes at the warmth that seeped out of her, the heat that oozed from core, that same heat surrounding her heart. "Ask me again." She demanded softly, wanting to hear it again, hear the raspiness in his usually gentle voice, hear the lustful hum deep in his throat.

"Are you wet, Gabriella?" he asked again, this time more confidently, his cool fingers flying into her already slick folds, and guiding them to his desired level of moisture. As his nimble fingers worked within her core, Gabriella writhed beneath him, her hips bucking until his digits slipped deeper inside of her, the burning liquid coating his fingers, causing an insatiable fire to slink through her veins her spine curling with the sensation.

"…God…" she moaned, snaking her arms around his neck and puling his lips down on to hers.

******

The sweat produced by his body had now considerably cooled. He'd been consumed by a scorching heat only hours before, but now his temperature was vastly different, his torso covered with tiny goose-bumps, the hairs on his arms alert. He shuffled over to the right of the bed, trying to share Gabriella's body-heat, but when his arm went to curl around her waist, it simply hit into his stomach, the space beside him empty. He opened his eyes in confusion, blinking a few times so they could adjust to the early-morning darkness. He'd always pictured, though his friends would howl with laughter if he'd admitted it, waking up with the girl he loved wrapped in his arms after making love. He'd stroke her hair, whisper in her ear and say that he loved her. But it seemed that wasn't going to happen, and Troy's fears began to grow when he asked himself why.

"Gabi?" He croaked, wincing at his rough voice, clearing his throat and trying again, this time clearer. "Gabi?" he said quietly, aware that it was still extremely early. "Ella?" Shifting from his position on Gabriella's bed - the comforter strewn across his waist, his body propped up on his left elbow - he stood slowly, pushing his matted bangs out of his eyes and scanned the dim area for the navy jogging bottoms that Gabriella had meant for him earlier in the morning. He didn't take the time to find his boxers before pulling the bottoms on, his sandy curling hairs peeking out from under the waistband as the bottoms hung low on his waist. Not bothering to cover his nude chest, he walked over to the door, slowly, tiredly, making his way down the hall and padding down the stairs.

He peered over the banister as he descended, hearing a quiet series of movements from the kitchen. Shuffling down the remaining steps, he followed the sound, groaning at the sight of himself as he caught his reflection in an ornate mirror, his hair dishevelled, Gabriella's grasping hands having pulled it in a million different directions earlier in the morning, and inched tentatively towards the kitchen door. Once there, he saw Gabriella in a pair of black house-shorts, and a baggy sea blue hoodie. She seemed deep in thought, so he didn't disturb her straight away, instead just watched silently as she rested her elbows against the cupboard top, just by the stainless steel sink, and gazed out of the window into the darkness, her attention occasionally diverting from the dark scene to the glass of Orange juice she had beside her, sipping at it, and then refilling it with the carton that she kept beside her.

His steps like a cat; slow and dileberate, Troy kept forward, hesitated, and then said almost soundlessly, "Hey,"

Her head turned in response to the noise and she faced him, smiling gently and replied, "Hey," with equal softness.

"I woke up but…you weren't there. I just…I was…uhh…are you okay?"

Nodding with an assuring smile, she replied, "Yeah, I felt a little…umm…well" her hands gestured to her body, Gabriella unable to say the words. "I went and took a shower,"

Troy flinched, feeling guilty as she spoke, her words re-conjuring an image that would remain forever burned into the depths of his memory; the sight of her wincing face, the blood that tarnished her bed cover.

"And then," she continued. "I was thirsty so I came and got some juice - you want some?" she turned and picked up the almost-empty carton but Troy shook his head in refusal. "Anyway, I didn't want to wake you, so, I thought I'd stay down here a bit and now…here you are." Lightly, she giggled.

"Here I am." Troy seconded, his voice lacking the upbeat tone that Gabriella had possessed. "Gabri--" he began hastily, but Gabriella abruptly cut him off.

"Troy, wait," she said, pushing herself off of the counter a bit and stepping a tiny few steps closer to him. "I'm not sorry." She said. "I'm not sorry and I don't regret anything. I know that there are people who might think it weird that we've never even spoken about it or anything but we just…you know…did it, but…" She shook her head, trying to work through her thoughts and expresses them in an understandable way.

"What I'm saying is…I've never thought about us in that way before. I know it's weird cuz we can get so hot making out sometimes but, honestly, in my mind it always seemed to stop there. But tonight," she gave him and dazed smile. "It suddenly went so much further in my mind, you know? It was like something just hit me - Whack! - and I…I wanted it…you. I felt this thing when you looked at me." She glanced up at him, their eyes locking for a moment. She knew that he understood her at that second, that she didn't have to say anything further, but she felt a burning need - something he seemed to inspire in her - to speak, to hear the weight of her words fill the space around them. "I was sure everything was going to be okay, I didn't have any hesitations or reservations. It was me and you, that was it. And I just…yeah…" she suddenly felt nervous. "I… thought you should know, cuz I don't feel sorry for anything that's happened tonight and…I hope you don't either."

"I love you, Gabriella," Troy said as he crossed the room towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her body into the curve of his. "Nothing will ever change that. What we did, what we just did, it was the most amazing thing… like nothing I've ever felt before. I could never regret doing something so incredible, and the fact that it was with you? That we could share such an important moment together? It just made it all the more special."

"I love--" Before Gabriella could complete her sentence, her lips were squashed by Troy's, who was pressing their lips together eagerly, backing them towards the kitchen counter for its support.

As his tongue twisted into her mouth, and glided over the roof of it, the sensation tickling, his body pressed further into hers. Gabriella could feel him once again, his length gradually becoming more pronounced until she could distinctly feel it grinding into her and she then began grasping at his head with one hand, her other boldly snaking around to his behind, her small hand squeezing his firm butt.

"Hmm," she suddenly winced and Troy jumped back, reflexively checking that she was okay.

"What's wrong?"

She took a few breaths before answering, trying to abate the pain. "Just…I'm kind of… sore."

"I'm sorry." He said sincerely, though the uncertainty in his voice betrayed his lack of knowledge for the current situation. "Is it bad?"

"Just…strange, I think. I mean, I'm not used to feeling any kind of soreness or discomfort…down there," she said tactfully, blushing a little. "But it isn't too bad, not half as bad as what I heard it could be. I think it'll wear off soon enough - a couple days maybe." She tried her best to put his mind at rest, to soothe the guilt she knew was eating away at him. "Troy, it was inevitable, don't beat yourself up about it."

"I just don't like knowing that you're in pain because of me." He said honestly, stroking her left cheek.

"Then don't think of the _discomfort_," she deliberately emphasised the word, showing him that he was dramatising the situation. "Think of the pleasure," she smiled coyly. "Think of everything that happened earlier, how incredible it was, how special, and…did I mention incredible?" she asked, feigning naivety. "I love you and I love what we did. This just happens to come with it. I, for one, will be using it as a happy reminder."

"You're so freaking adorable, you know." Zac chuckled, dipping his head and softly capturing her lips.

"That's why you love me, isn't it?" she whispered, sweetly, their lips only centimetres away from each other, their sweet breaths arousing each others' needs.

"One of the many reasons." Troy mumbled before swiftly lifting her into his arms and cradling her to his chest.

"What are you doing?" She squealed as Troy cautiously mounted the staircase.

Rounding the corner towards Gabriella's room, Troy said simply, "Making sure you experience no further discomfort."

Once at her bedroom door, Troy paused, huffing. "Wow," he stated.

Gabriella waited a while for him to continue, but he never, he just merely stood there, shifting their weight from one leg to the other, all the while, his arms remaining strong. "What?" she asked finally.

"Orgasms make you tired." He yawned, before taking his right foot and pushing the door open.

"Wait!" Gabriella called frantically, the sudden flaying of her arms almost making Troy lose his balance.

"What?"

"You're carrying me over the threshold." She said, not feeling the need to go into any further explanations.

Troy rolled his eyes. "One: it's the threshold to the house, not _any_ threshold. "Two:" he continued, as he took a pointed step over the gold band by the door, walking over and laying Gabriella softly among her pillows. "So I did it before the actual ceremony. Not as if I've just doomed the marriage."

She wasn't sure if he'd picked up on the deep meaning of his words, his nonchalance as he slipped in a movie for them to relax to told her that either, he didn't, or, he knew full well what he had implied but didn't find the need to take it back. Her heart as it soared around the room and finally thumped loudly back into her chest, hoped for the second one that his statement was an insight into his future plans. Not that she'd ever admit it to anyone other than Taylor, but she had a number of notebooks where she'd scratched her and Troy's name into the paper: _T&G Forever. Mrs. Troy Bolton. Mrs. Gabriella Eva Bolton. Mrs. Gabriella Bolton. Troy and Gabriella Bolton._ It was the first time, however, that she had been given the feeling that Troy too had had those same thoughts - the white picket fence, the green lawn that their bare-footed kids would race around in the hot summers, while they held hands and watched them bicker over who could run the fastest.

She'd always been told - from older cousins, friends, teen mags - that guys didn't discuss their feelings, something she'd had more than enough experience on, that the fastest way to freak them out was to get to serious, and yet, here she was, wrapped in the arms of the boy she loved, the one that had just told her that he would one day make them official. She would be his…forever. She was at peace.

******

"Babe?" Troy said softly, peering down at Gabriella, whose head lay across his naked chest.

"Hmm?"

"You tired?"

The first sounds of the day were beginning. Through their light breathing, the sounds of the whistling birds were audible, the high hum of the morning breeze accompanying the sound. Darkness had just been broken, the warm glow of the sun rising slowly, stretching it's arms and glowing above the yards, and houses, the roofs of the parked cars gleaming with the reflection.

"A-a little…I guess." And then, her eyebrows knitting together and her head lifting from his chest, her drowsy eyes gazing into his, she asked, "Why?"

Troy shifted down onto the mattress, changing the position of his body that had been resting mostly against the headboard. He didn't speak until their face were parallel, their eyes boring into each other's like a drill into a concrete slab. His left forefinger curled, moving a single lock of Gabriella's hair behind her soft ear so that his view of her hypnotising orbs was uninterrupted. "I want to kiss you." He whispered, the tips of their noses brushing together in a kiss of their own. "All of you." He amended, the hand that had been stroking her cheek, his left hand, dropped to her waist, sliding down slowly over the thick hoodie.

He waited, seeing how long it would take her to grasp the meaning of his words. His actions persisted, the soft stroking of his hand trying to make his intent clear. It curved around to the flesh of her, barely covered, bottom, slipped under, and then quickly retracted from, the light cotton material. Silence dawned while all this happened. From its place on her bottom, it drifted down, until his hand covering the skin right at the top of her inner thigh, his thumb brushing a little higher.

It hit her. His hand moved ever higher, his lips now suckling on hers as she whimpered lightly at the contact.

"It's up to you." He stated, his words absolutely true.

Gabriella was silent as he kissed her again, gazing into his intent eyes when he pulled back.

They had moved so quickly in those last few hours. But, somehow, she wasn't afraid. Apprehensive, and slightly nervous, yes. But fear? No. She wasn't repulsed by his suggestion, didn't find it off-putting. Instead she felt curiosity, a tingle slowly crawled through her veins as the image created in her mind made her heart skip a beat. In that place Troy had made her so aware of, she felt a twinge, a pleasant surge of heat.

"I'm…I'm nervous." She said. "But…" she leaned forward and quickly pecked his lips, drawing courage from the kiss. "I want you to."

She seemed embarrassed by her candid statement, even in the dim light Troy could see the colour rise up her cheeks in that adorable way he loved. It began with slow kisses; one to her cheek, nose, lips and then slowly further down; her neck, the curve of her breast (he had soon removed her top) and her taut stomach. He took it as slowly as possible, giving her time to change her mind retract her statement of consent. Her fingers threaded through his hair as the work of his lips became more intent, her stomach growing tighter each time his hot breath snuck over her skin, his lips nipped at her thigh, or his tongue slithered over her trembling body, her legs involuntarily jolting each time her skin was taken into his mouth.

Troy's hands had been busy caressing her legs, but Gabriella had had enough of his skirting around the issue, and boldly placed her hands over his, lifted them, and repositioned them so they were in her desired position; the waistband of her shorts. He could no longer hold back, her action proving just how much she wanted it. Slithering further down the bed, his back curling into a position that reminded him of his mother's yoga move - the sight of Gabriella's plain black underwear (the only thing she was currently wearing as she hadn't put a bra on under the hoodie) served to banish any thought's remotely concerning his mother…or anyone else, for that matter.

As his tongue worked on the unfamiliar territory and she responded with pants, pleas and moans, he reminisced, going back to his fifteen year old self, home alone with his lap-top perched on his legs. Slowly, he'd tapped his search into Google, gulping when hundreds of videos that met his specification popped up. He clearly remembered the stunned look on the females face as she was pleasured, it was much like Gabriella's now, he could hear the ragged breaths in his ear, but they were no longer the breaths of a stranger on-screen, they were the breaths of his girl, his one and only girl.

The fact that he was able to impart such a level on pleasure on a person, did unimaginable things to his body - emotionally and physically. He felt that distinct stirring in his tracksuit bottoms as Gabriella's hips bucked, his tongue surging forward due to her unexpected movement. The moan. The cry. The grip.

"Oh-oh-oh!" Gabriella cried as his wet tongue tentatively flicked over clit. She marvelled at the pleasure something so small and seemingly insignificant could bring. Her heart began to beat so quickly that the individual beat seemed to merge into one. Sweat poured from her body as her face contracted into a mere sample of its former self. "Oh! _Ohh!" _she tried to loosen the grip she had on Troy's hair, but her brain wasn't able to concentrate on anything other than the sublime pleasure and instead her fingers only tightened when Troy's tongue moved faster, thrusting in an out of her with purpose. She was an elastic band, being stretched to an unknown length, just waiting, at any moment to snap. The frustration was building within her and she couldn't take it any longer. "Oh…_ohhh_… God… _PLEASE_.. Please…Troy…_OHH…_!!"

It was now Troy's pride that was acting, telling him that he was being relied upon. He latched his lips onto her swollen clit. He could feel the heat being exuded from her body, from her core.

"God…Oh… that's it…_ye-yes yes! OHH_! _TROY! Troy…_Troy…Tr…"

Emptiness.

Her hands fell from their position on Troy's crown. She had nothing left inside of her. He had taken it all. As her wild pants subsided into uneven breaths, her body continued to tingle at the unfeasible pleasure she had experienced. She could feel Troy's lips inching slowly back up her sweating body, but her eyelids refused to open to see the man who had just pleasured her so spectacularly.

"Troy…" she whispered as his body settled beside hers, pulling her naked form into his arms. "Troy..."

"Shh." He whispered. He knew she was fighting her body to express herself, but he just wanted her to relax and enjoy the moment. Having been bought to such a place by his own hand many times before, he understood completely what she was feeling; the calm, the fatigue, the inexpressible feelings of pleasure. These next few moments would be the most crucial, and they had to be appreciated without interruptions.

"Thank you." Were her last uttered words before she slipped into sleep in his protecting arms.

******

It'd been mere hours since they had separated, but nevertheless, Troy scrambled around frantically getting ready for school that morning, craving to see her soft face again, her luscious pale lips, her gentle smile. He'd always believed that he couldn't love her any more than he already did, but what he'd felt for her had been surpassed that morning when she'd allowed him to take the thing that was most precious.

Darting around his tip of a room, he snatched up his work books and his keys, leaping down the stairs to the kitchen, where he'd rush his breakfast, and share a few words with his mother before leaving - he desperately hoped that Lucille chose this particular morning to have a meaning conversation with him.

"Whoa, Roadrunner, careful you don't break something." Lucille chuckled as Troy sped around the kitchen, splashing milk over the work surfaces as he poured it hurriedly into his bowl of frosted flakes.

"Sorry." He huffed, taking the checked tea-towel from her and dabbing at the creamy white liquid.

"I'm surprised you aren't tired," she began, missing the slight look of panic on Troy's face as his eyebrows shot up, as she had turned her back on him, her head stuck into the fridge. "That storm was pretty intense last night."

"What?" he choked, his voice unusually high. "I mean…I didn't think you were awake, you guys always sleep through that stuff." He shovelled a heaped-spoonful of cereal into his open mouth, chomping down on it with purpose.

"I stirred a little but I didn't wake fully," Lucille replied, sipping at her morning coffee. "We saw the reports on the news this morning. The damage, your Dad said, is pretty bad around here, too; a few cracked wind-shields, a couple fallen trees."

"Wow," Troy grumbled noncommittally. Having run home just minutes before his Dad's alarm clock echoed throughout the house, rousing his parents, Troy had already seen the worst of the damage, but he did his best to cover his tracks, feigning surprise as his mother told him of the reported magnitude of the storm. Once he had devoured the majority of his breakfast, he stretched over to the sink, filling a tumbler with some water, gulping it down to dislodge the food that had gotten wedged in his throat in his rush.

"I hope Gabriella's okay," Lucille said, a touch of worry in her usually smooth, calm voice. "I know she hates storms."

"Ahh…" Troy said with a slight smirk, "I'm sure she managed."

As he pressed a quick kiss to his mother's cheek, and grabbed his bag from the floor, Lucille shouted, slightly confused, "Someone must've had a good sleep last night!" for she was unused to his being so jubilant, in the mornings - especially on a school day.

Before stuffing his body carelessly into his truck, Troy yelled back smugly, "The _best!"_

* * *

**There's a nail-biting smiley somewhere that needs to be inserted in this A/N lol  
I worked _super super_ hard on that so I hope it was worth it.  
Review xoxo**


	14. Seventeen: Sleepover

**A/N Hold fire! Hold fire! I know, I'm a terrible writer for keeping you guys waiting for...God, I don't want to think how long, but it honestly wasn't my fault. First my computer got all screwed up and took aaages to fix and then I suffered tremendous Writer's block with this chapter. I don't know why, I figure it was just because the last one was so huge for me. Thanx to all of you guys that reviewed, you're awesome as always. Now, the last chapter I did of PoT didn't get any reviews but was favourited and added to alert subscriptions which kinda bummed me out coz I really want to know what you guys think - this thing's a team effort, I write you review. Anyway, so I really want every person who reads this to leave a review - even if it's only one line. x**

**Rated M for strong language and sexual scenes/references**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of the HSM franchise but my bank balance is truly wishing I did :p **

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The early spring was unseasonably hot; the students during their free periods and lunch break had all chosen to cram outside in the hope of filling their lungs with air that wasn't thick and contaminated by the sweat of the entire student body.

A few of the Wildacts - Troy, Gabriella, Taylor, Chad and Zeke - had grabbed a spot on the grass during lunch. Unfortunately, they hadn't arrived outside early enough to score one of the coveted spaces in the shade, but as they munched on their lunches of sandwiches, salads and various other refuelling foods, it seemed perfect for them.

A few days prior, the gang had all ventured to the midnight screening of Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Obviously, having been out for several years, they had all seen the opportunity the movie but the idea of catching a one-off midnight viewing had somehow made the idea more appealing - not that either of them cared to protest against the idea; the girls got Pitt, the guys Jolie - a perfect evening all 'round. Since the movie trip, however, the girls and guys had been battling over the true sentiment of the film.

"Look, Tay," Zeke said as he doubled the use of his hand, messily dragging the back of it over his mouth when he realised that there weren't any napkins left.

"Guys are gross," Taylor muttered, her lip curled upward as she witnessed the sight.

"You don't have to be right with everything. If you're wrong sometimes then it's cool, we're not gonna think that you're no longer smart or whatever," Zeke attempted to reason.

"Do you seriously think this is about me not wanting to be wrong?" she rolled her eyes incredulously and then she flicked a black and orange lady bird off of her leg as it attempted to crawl beneath the hemline of her mustard-coloured denim skirt. "I'm insisting like this because I know I'm right: it was a love story about the trials of marriage, not just about a husband and wife that realised the other was an assassin! You guys are just so dim."

"You. Are. Wrong," Chad countered, impressing each word. "It was an action flick, 'kay? That's it." As the words left his mouth, Chad tugged on the band that held his mass of curls tightly into a bun, and sighed in pleasure when he was free of it; his curls bouncing around, once again framing his soft face and allowing the slight breeze to connect with his scalp.

"Yup. It was just a kick-ass movie where the chicks looked hot in leather." A new voice entered their debate; Jason. As the guys saw him, they all began to slap hands in agreement of his statement.

"Gabi, back me up here," Taylor cried, suddenly feeling helpless and overwhelmed.

Snorting, Chad turned to her so-called back up. "Yeah," he said. "I don't think Gabriella's in any position to be talking right now."

Five minutes, five hours: it was all the same to Troy and Gabriella. Since entering the physical realm of their relationship a few weeks prior, things between them had intensified significantly and they doubted that it had gone unnoticed by those around them. Every spare moment they had were spent in each other's arms, hugging, kissing - more if they had the time and privacy; they'd been given two warning at school and were facing a detention if caught again for 'Inappropriate public displays of affection' and to top it off, the teasing from their social group had increased ten-fold.

At this particular moment in time, Chad had been correct in stating that Gabriella was unable to speak. As Troy's right palm snuck underneath the light material of her floaty, cream top, occasionally brushing just below the clasp of her bra, his tongue relatively deep inside the crevices of her moist mouth, she was, quite contently, rendered mute - save for a few giggles and moans.

Troy's lips, now somewhat pale due to his engagement in over-zealous kisses with his girlfriend, began a taunting trail down the neck of Gabriella; who clutched his walnut-coloured mane between her nimble fingers with desperation, holding him close. He caught the intoxicating scent of her _Ralph__ Lauren_ perfume that lingered specifically on her collarbone, and immediately traced his tongue over the sensitive area. Done with the teasing of his tongue-tip, his lips latched onto the worked on space, sucking keenly until Gabriella began to stretch her neck further to the left-hand side, enhancing the amount of skin he was able to pleasure.

Even before they had began their make-out session, they had been somewhat absent from lunch; Troy occasionally squeezing Gabriella's naked thigh while she tucked into her sandwich and sending her flirtatious glances when she would look over to reprimand his actions. Although their friends were used to this of late, at some point a line had to be drawn. That time was now.

Under the intense smog of kisses, Troy felt an object pelt him in the side of the face.

"Dude, you can get her pregnant by sucking face like that," Chad sneered as he proudly watched a scrap of his sandwich roll hit Troy in the side cheek.

Unlike Troy, whose lips continued to grope at the empty air, Gabriella pulled away instantly, Chad unknowingly tapping into one of her key insecurities about their physical relationship. Unsure of how to broach the subject with her mother, Gabriella was yet to divulge any information on the developments of her and Troy's relationship - which she doubted her mother had the faintest inclination of - and so was still relying solely on the protection of condoms. Troy had suggested just going to get a prescription for the contraceptive pill, but being under age, there was no way she could have done so without her mother's prior knowledge and so that was no longer put forward as an option. It was apparent to Gabriella that she would have to tell soon enough.

******

"You guys are just like…rabbits!"

The chocolate brown of Gabriella's eyes dominated the white as they doubled in size. "Must you say that so loud? I think they heard in Australia!" she hissed. Gabriella, although she had grown considerably more relaxed on the views people had of her since she had began dating Troy, remained a very private person. It had taken her a total of three hours to tell Taylor about the thunder storm night (she would hint at the subject before changing her mind and swiftly taking the conversation in a different direction) and she really didn't want that news being published among the school halls - especially when they were often wandered by the father of her boyfriend.

"Come on, the way you guys are now, a blind man would know you're…" Taylor trailed of timidly as Gabriella narrowed her normally bright eyes in her direction. "Lips sealed," Taylor mocked, clamping her pouting brown lips firmly together.

"So, you wanna do something tonight?" Gabriella asked as they paused at Taylor's locker.

Taylor began ramming all of her text books into the small metal box with force, having to hold them in place until the door had been secured close. "Why not, we haven't really done anything other than studying in a while - just us, I mean. Got anything specific in mind, or just hangin' out?" Habitually as she walked, Taylor folded her arms close to her chest, causing the links of her silver watch to glint each time a ray of sun slinked through the classroom windows and out into the halls to brandish the students.

Gabriella brightly suggested, "Sleepover?" after a few minutes of thought. "We haven't had one in ages."

"Yeah, we haven't had a sleepover in ages cuz Troy always 'accidentally' forgets the 'No boys' rule and comes over." Taylor teased, watching her friend's cheeks flush a deep red.

Gabriella's thin shoulders rose as she conceded this fact; "Okay, I admit, Troy's memory isn't as bad as he makes out sometimes but it wont happen every time. C'mon, what d'ya say? We can go all out; take-out, nail painting, cosmo --" for some reason, the mere mention of the fashion mag caused her hand to raise absent mindedly and rake through her curled locks.

Abruptly, Taylor cut in. With a dubious tone and her threaded eyebrows arched high, she asked, "and no boys?"

"None," she agreed with a firm nod of her head. "You have the promise of a Sunflower Girl." With that, she raised her right hand so it was parallel with her ear.

"Please," Taylor scoffed, her dark irises disappearing momentarily as she rolled her eyes. "You were never a Sunflower Girl."

******

There was something somewhat pitiful about the way Sharpay Evans sat. Alone, with nothing but her glitzy diamante tote that she cradled lovingly in her thin arms, she watched from the distance as her boyfriend and a few of his team-mates - Chad and Jason - as they bounded around the school gym, high-fiving and cheering; her presence apparently forgotten. She wasn't a fan of basketball - wouldn't even know where to start, reciting the basic rules - and she sure as hell wasn't a fan of sweaty, humid gyms, but Gabriella tended to watch Troy practice when she had time to spare and it was a gesture of support that Sharpay had retained, thinking that she may be able to do the same for Zeke on the odd day. What an idea that had been.

It'd been ten minutes since she'd entered the gym and had received nothing but a quick wave from her boyfriend as she'd entered - and if she was completely honest, she wasn't wholly certain that it was a wave; she suspected him to have been wiping his forehead free of sweat, the positioning of his hand merely serving both purposes. This use of her free period wasn't for her, she had concluded, and rose elegantly to leave, yelping when a saturated jersey flew past her, missing her teased locks by inches only. "Eww!" she exclaimed, her fury growing as Jason sniggered in her direction. "Not. Funny!" With her nose turned high, her bony fingers flapped about her face as she marched towards the exit, her eyes barely open.

"Shar!" Zeke called as he made his way over to her, his long legs closing the gap between the two of them in only three strides. "Hey, don't go," he said, with a hand running down her arm.

"Why not, Zeke? I've been here forever and you haven't even said 'hey' to me, the gym's gross and it smells really, really bad and…I don't do gyms." If any regular, less high-maintenance girl had shaken her head at that point just as Sharpay had done, her strands of hair would've bounced slightly, and maybe even blown into her face, then having to be removed. Sharpay, however, had sprayed copious amounts of flammable hairspray before heading to school that morning, so her curls stayed perfectly in place, giving her the appearance of a faultless store mannequin. "Zeke, I need to go."

She then pressed a simple kiss to his cheek and they parted slowly, neither wanting to look the other in the eye, both acutely aware that, for the first time, they had felt nothing.

******

Outside of the gym, the halls relatively empty, Sharpay had stopped, inhaling lung-fulls of clean air while her head rested in the palm of her pale hand. Footsteps slowed behind her but she ignored them until her name was hesitantly called;

"Shar?"

Taylor's voice immediately found her, her body rotating on the ball of her left foot, the ballet pump not making a sound as she swivelled. "Hey, guys," she attempted brightly when she wrapped her arms around both Taylor and Gabriella. "I was just watching Zeke but got kinda bored so…" Uncomfortably, Sharpay's high-pitched voice trailed off as a feeling that she'd disclosed more information the necessary came over her. "What's up with you?" she began afresh.

"Our classes are pretty much done," Gabriella sighed, loosening the pony-tail that she'd placed her tresses in not ten minutes before - a sure-fire sign that she was bored was if she began to fiddle with her hair. "Only one more left," she said. "Then home. The weekend awaits, right? Any plans?" Gabriella hadn't deliberately meant to pry when her question had been posed, but a change suddenly came over Sharpay with the asking of the question and it had been evident. Both she and Taylor narrowed their eyes ever so slightly to listen to the response given by their friend.

"Uhh…not really. Zeke's pretty busy, right now, with basketball an' all, so we haven't had much time to hang out. Coach Bolton's working the team pretty hard, right Gabriella?" She continued before Gabriella had the chance to even part her lips to answer, "So, it'll probably settle down in a few weeks. For now, though, it's just me, Sharpay Evans…just me."

******

A little later in the afternoon saw Gabriella standing by her locker - as were most teens at that time, seeing as it was the end of the school day - carefully selecting the books and equipment that would be needed over the weekend; any remaining items would be stored there until her return on Monday. Lightly, so it was heard by nobody else, Gabriella chuckled to herself after she retouched her pink lip gloss and pouted in her sequin-framed mirror to admire the job. Sharpay's wearing off on me, she thought to herself. Rubbing her lips together once more, she resumed the conversation that was being held. "Sharpay, you don't have to wait for us, honestly, we can just meet you at mine. To drop us off at my place will be taking you out of you way, it wouldn't be fair."

Noticing the unusual air that had surrounded Sharpay when they'd met outside of the gym about an hour before, Taylor had made an executive decision to invite Sharpay along to their sleepover that weekend. The independent blonde had hesitated a little before excepting the offer but it seemed that had enthused her spectacularly since they had last spoken as their was an abundant energy about her. Neither really knew what to expect from a sleepover with Sharpay as such an event hadn't occurred before. This wasn't out of a lack of liking between the three - they had actually moved to a place of regarding each other as 'friends' - but circumstances had meant that it had never been possible - before now.

"Really, it's fine!" Sharpay insisted. Like an excited kid on Christmas morning she bounced lightly on the spot, ignoring the eyes that followed her bizarre movements, and clapped her hands together repeatedly in a hurrying action. "I can grab some nightwear, feed Boi, and we'll be done. I wouldn't be doing anything between now and coming over to your house anyway so -- it's fine, come on, let's go, let's go."

Gabriella, as she was physically ushered down the hallways, her body being manoeuvred through those of her fellow pupils, gritted together her teeth. It wasn't arrogance or even ego, but Gabriella Montez wasn't one to be hurried. She began to fear that the energy of Sharpay was going to have exhausted her by the time the sun settled behind her opposing houses on Sunday evening.

As the heat raged down on them, Taylor and Gabriella decided not to trawl through the parking lot with Sharpay. Instead they stood in the place they found the most shade - and that wasn't saying much - and waited for her to bring the car around. They involved themselves in casual chatter to pass the time; making small observations, debating on what food to order in later that night.

Suddenly, a pair of firm arms grabbed Gabriella around then waist, twirling her about with little effort as though her weight was equal to that of a young child. Even before she heard the laughter of the culprit, her body didn't go into fear-mode, never believing the situation necessary. As the arms entrapped her, her hands placed themselves over his, a shot of electricity flowing through her as her gentle fingertips made contact with the curling hair that started from his wrists. Her head fell into the crook of his neck, the place she loved it to be most often, and she wallowed in the sweet, yet spicy, scent of the guy.

Her guy.

Eventually she was set down by him, which was rewarded with a smack on the chest which he gasped at, placing his hand of his heart in pain.

"Gabi, Gabi, Gabi. Now that wasn't a very nice thing to do, now was it?" He shook his head as he spoke as though reprimanding a school girl.

"Shut up, Bolton," Gabriella murmured in reply as she slithered her hands up his muscled chest, taking in every contour through the thin fabric that sheathed him - the abs that made his six pack, the hardened nipples - and finally slipped them around his shoulders. Her supple lips brushed against the corner of his twitching mouth in a teasing gesture and just as her lips were about to meet his…

A deliberate cough punctured through their created bubble. Troy and Gabriella didn't fully separate, but parted a little, putting only a few inches between them; Gabriella's right arm remained coiled around his neck, her left hand laying on the white of his tee, while his were firmly clasped about her waist. There heads turned simultaneously to the side where they saw Taylor standing with her dark brows raised.

"Ahh…hey, Tay," Troy said with a apologetic smile as he lifted a hand - that had been position dangerously close to Gabriella's rounded bottom - and waved.

"Troy," Taylor replied with a mock disapproving tone, the couple both looking remarkably guilty and embarrassed at having, once again, forgetting the presence of any that surrounded them. "Gabs, I'll meet you at the car, 'kay?"

Gabriella was still silent and merely nodded sheepishly as she rubbed her lips together. Once Taylor and Troy had said there goodbyes and Taylor departed into the crowds, Gabriella groaned and buried her head in Troy's chest, his fingers gently scraping through her flowing hair in a comforting gesture.

"We really have to stop doing that; it's getting embarrassing."

Even as she spoke Troy's hands blatantly patted her behind. "Maybe we should try be more sociable, sure," he said in reference to their friends having deserted them on several occasions when the duo had refused to be separated from one another. "But, I love you," he pecked her lips sweetly and Gabriella giggled. "And I have absolutely no problem in letting everybody know that." Once again he fused their lips together, lovingly and Gabriella didn't attempt to resist.

Gabriella's smile never faltered as their lips danced passionately. Of all the things she loved about Troy, the characteristic that was by far one of her favourites was his knack for always saying the right things. Whether or not it was the thing she _wanted_ to her it was always what she_ needed_ to hear; and best of all, it came so naturally to Troy to comfort his girlfriend even after all the years they had been dating (and the years they had been friends) he remained unaware of his talents; his words never having even the slightest ring of pretence.

"Baby, I'd love to stay and do this," this meaning making-out. She saw Troy's lips turn at the edges, but Gabriella continued none the less. "But Tay and Sharpay are waiting for me."

"Where are you going? I thought I was giving you a ride home?" Troy asked with imploring eyes as he swayed his body slightly, Gabriella still in his arms.

"Well the three of us are just gonna hang out this weekend. We haven't done it in a while, ya know, so we figured we'd take the opportunity while we were free," Gabriella explained as her hands absent-mindley squeezed at his biceps. With the red sleeves of his top rolled up to his elbows, the material clung best to the places Gabriella loved. As her hands groped gently at his arms she could almost feel the hot blood as it gushed through his veins.

"At your place?" His girlfriends head flitted up and down in a nod. "Cool, me and the guys will probably drop over later and…" Troy trailed off and his bushy, chestnut eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as Gabriella's head began to shake.

"Umm…you can't come by until the girls have left on Sunday - sleepover rules," Gabriella stated apologetically as her lip got chewed between her perfectly white incisors.

"What!? How's that fair?" Troy complained. "I've come over before," he reminded but again Gabriella head shook.

"You broke the rules then; the girls weren't kidding when they kept telling you to leave cuz you were banned - I just didn't have the heart to kick you out," Gabriella admitted sheepishly with a blush at just how smitten she was.

"Well, I can always pretend I didn't know and 'accidentally' crash." He kept spewing suggestions like a fountain shooting water.

"Troy, no," Gabriella said firmly with a final tone. "Neither of them are gonna buy that, and they always get on me about how I can't spend a day away from you -- and yes, it does matter. We always said that we'd still do our own things but recently we've just been about each other, y'know?" Gabriella voice was soft, urging him to see where she was coming from. "I haven't had a proper girls' night for ages and I'm gonna have one tonight."

"Fine," Troy mumbled, his head hung low to show her just how rejected he felt.

"Aww you look so cute when you pout," Gabriella cooed in a gooey tone as though she were talking to a baby.

Troy scoffed heavily. "_Cute_?" He said incredulously. "Rainbows are cute," he began. "Tiny little babies and puppy dogs are cute; you could even say that baby monkeys are cute. I, Troy Alexander Bolton, am not cute." His arms were crossed against his head, his muscles tense and bulging even more than usual.

Gabriella slinked forward again in preparation for an unashamed ego-stroke on her part. "Ahh, don't worry, baby," she whispered in a sultry manner with her lips tickling his with every spoken syllable. "You don't have to prove yourself to me; I'm under no doubt that you're one hundred…" she lingered. "And fifty per cent _red_. _Blooded_. _Male_." The last three words that left her lips, punctuated for effect, were gently blown directly into his ear - that was fast turning red - and were sealed with a soft kiss pressed just under it.

Troy's eyes remained closed for a few moments even after Gabriella had moved back to her original position. Once he had gathered himself he said, "I hope you know that you're missing out on a great Friday night." With a lame attempt to get a change of mind from Gabriella, though he knew just how stubborn she could be, Troy tried his hand at blackmail. "Cuz my parents are gonna be out 'till late tonight and I was thinking that we could…hang," he concluded slyly, his head tilting upwards ever so slightly, his cobalt orbs peering up through his brown shag, taunting Gabriella with suggestive gaze; his eyes pierced into hers until she could almost see the images that flickered through his mind, hear the pants and grunts that rang loudly in his ears.

Swallowing hard to clear the many x-rated images that flooded her usually pure mind, Gabriella shook her head, summoning courage from some unknown sector deep within and refusing his offer. "No can do, Bolton, I have plans tonight."

They remained for a few minutes longer, sharing hugs, kisses and wishing each other a good weekend. In all honesty, they didn't know the last time they had spent a weekend apart - a fact that was actually quite sad. With a promise that she would call the second she was alone so he could come over, they finally parted.

Seated in Sharpay's unique pink Mustang, Gabriella felt her phone vibrate from within the depths of her butterfly-decorated peach shopper bag. A smile immediately etched over her tanned skin as she read the words that had been sent.

_Txt me wen u get home?  
I'm not sre I trust shar behind the wheel.  
Luv u  
T xxx_

******

"For the love of all things good and pure in this world, Sharpay!" Taylor finally snapped. They had been in seated Sharpays closet for over an hour (Sharpay having turned a spare guest room in the mansion into her 'walk-in'), with Butlers offering snacks of Mimosas and cupcakes as they waited for her to pick the 'appropriate' nightwear. "You know what's 'appropriate', Shar? An old t-shirt and sweat pants, okay? Just please, please, grab something and throw it into a bag so we can get out of here." Having said her piece, Taylor allowed her head to flop back against one of the walls that had been lined with synthetic pink fur, her nimble fingers rising to massage her temples and ease the pressure away.

"Sharpay she's right," Gabriella seconded. "I mean, sure this stuff looks great," she gestured to the mounds of silk negligees that had been deemed 'unsuitable' and 'not quite right' by the drama queen. "But it's just the three of us. Who's gonna be seeing you other than us?" Unlike Taylor, Gabriella had happily welcomed the treats bought from the kitchen and was busy licking the glittered frosting from her fingers as she spoke.

When Sharpay nodded resistantly and mumbled an 'okay' she said to Gabriella, "Could you grab me some underwear from that closet?"

Gabriella rose, seeking the closet within the closet that she had been directed to, pulling open the mirrored door to find rails upon rails of perfectly organised lingerie. Each rack had been colour-coded (and arranged depending on shade); the thongs had been separated from the panties - not that Sharpay owned many of the latter - and the lace from cotton.

Fingering a scrap of lace that she assumed was meant to be a form of underwear, Gabriella gasped, ushering Taylor over. "Shar, how do you wear these? There's hardly anything there!" Gabriella squealed as Taylor held the azure material up towards a chandelier, it practically disappearing from sight as she turned it sideways.

"Come on, Gabi, you're telling me that you've never worn a thong before?" She looked dubiously at her friend who shook her head before her eyes widened at more bejewelled items. "Not even when you…spend time with Troy?" she questioned further.

Shyly, Gabriella's head fell towards the carpeted ground. "Uhh…no. How did…how did you know…" Sharpay's meaning had been chrystal when she asked about the couple spending time together. This surprised Gabriella as the only person she had told thus far had been Taylor - not that she wouldn't have told Sharpay, she just needed some time before she was able to openly discuss such things.

"Gabriella, darling," Sharpay said as she approached the two of them and threw an arm around Gabriella's shoulders. "Guys talk…and Zeke's powerless to my charm. Well that's tomorrow taken care of," Sharpay said, her hands already clapping, rebounding off of each other like those of a seal. "We are gonna go underwear shopping. Trust me, Gabi, Troy's mouth's gonna hit the floor when he next sees you. This stuff," she pointed to the wardrobe. "Was all designed with the purpose of driving guys wild, and take it from my personal experience - it will." With that, she winked cheekily at the two girls that giggled in response and began selecting her underwear for the weekend.

******

It was a certainty that had Troy been asked what was playing on his television, he would have been unable to give a definite answer. As sounds flooded his room he lay, more accurately slumped, on his bed, bare-chested in only a pair of grey jogging pants that hung off of his waist a little displaying his red boxers beneath. He'd deny it if accused, but Troy Bolton was actually sulking. He had planned an entire night for his girlfriend and himself only to have it slowly crumble because of the need girls had to 'spend time together'. You could argue that he should've made Gabriella aware of his plans for them but then it wouldn't have been a surprise.

Now he lay alone, moping and feeling incredibly turned-on with nobody to satisfy his urges - and tonight his hand just wouldn't suffice. Interrupting his pity party his phone rang, vibrating it's way towards the edge of the small table beside his bed. Grabbing it before it fell, he answered the call and pressed it towards his ear, the hip hop ring-tone muted. "'Sup, Danforth?" he asked deflatedly.

"Not much. You?" His best friend replied.

"Me? Ahh you know, just feeling incredibly pathetic."

"What's going on?" Chad asked, his bushy brows adjoined in the middle of his forehead as they knitted.

"It's Friday night, by girlfriend's banned me from seeing her and I don't know what to do with myself. Hence I'm now here, alone, feeling pathetically whipped. I've actually turned into one of those guys, haven't I?"

"I won't lie to you," Chad chuckled. "Yes you have." Troy groaned. "But, dude, there's still time to save yourself. Get your butt over to Jason's in about an hour, we're gonna hang there - a girl free zone. I think that's exactly what you need."

Troy knew there was no arguing with Chad when he used that tone, so he grunted a response in agreement before ending the call. With the phone then chucked onto his duvet, Troy rose, moving around his room and gathering the clothes he would wear over to Jason's and the ones he would sleep in; feeling particularly lazy, he only chose the clothes that were already within eye view, saving himself the hassle of rummaging through his chaotic wardrobe and drawers.

******

"Uhh…how about the purple, that looks sexy," Taylor decided after several minutes of vacillating between nail colours. After making a firm decision, she stretched her hands forward onto the deep red velvet cushion on Gabriella's lap, allowing Gabriella to proceed in the application of the first coat of the matt varnish.

In the three hours since they had arrived at Gabriella's home, they had already ticked off several of the sleep-over 'must-do's'; takeaway (Chinese, to be specific) had been consumed, unhealthy amounts of chocolate and ice-cream following that, they had giggled, watched stupid movies and just spoken about general topics. For Taylor and Gabriella, it had been nice to experience a third voice within their little group, see the other dimension that was added and for Sharpay (who had never been privileged to spend the night at another girl's house - and was unable to see why) it had been a new experience entirely.

Sharpay sat across from Gabriella's bed in a swivel desk chair, running a pair of hot straighteners through her golden mane, pressing it out within an inch of its life. She looked a picture at the moment; half a head of curled hair on the right, the other side bone-straight. "So Gabriella, tell us about Troy." Sharpay tended to state rather than ask, leaving little lee-way for the other person.

"Umm…well he's just over 5,9", but if you ask he'll say he's 5,10"," Gabriella began, avoiding the real subject she knew Sharpay to be asking about. She spoke with as much honesty as possible not wanting it to be obvious that she was playing the avoidance game. Her eyes remained fixed on Taylor's long fingers, her painting actions remaining fluid throughout.

"You know what I mean," Sharpay scolded. "What is he _like_?" she repeated with more emphasis. "Y'know, providing it was with their consent, most girls are just dying to tell someone about it when they lose their virginity and yet here you are being Miss Coy. What gives?"

"I'm just not like that," Gabriella said with an air of defensiveness.

"I'm not asking for a blow-by-by, no pun intended," she added when Taylor began to snigger at her choice of suggestive words. "Just a few details: does he make funny noises; does he last long or does he blow right away? …oh and is he b--"

"Sharpay!" Gabriella chastised, her eyes widened to remarkable widths.

"Oh please, Mamma Montez isn't here, who'll know besides us?" She then set the straighteners down on the desk, stretching her pedicured toe forward and flicking the switch off - she didn't want to be accountable if Gabriella's home was to burn to the ground. With her hair now straightened and sleek, she swept it back using a thin band to secure it, letting the pony-tail trail down her back against her pale skin and folded her legs under her bottom, clasping her hands together and pouting. "Just a little info, Gabriella, please. Just tell us what it's like."

Both Taylor and Sharpay looked at Gabriella with pleading eyes. She looked between the two of them trying to find a way out of the impending conversation but somehow found the combination of their imploring gazes impossible to refuse. She huffed, her chest rising and falling as the deep breath gushed passed her lips, and screwed the silver lid back onto to the varnish bottle (having applied the final layer to Taylor's nails) and set it down to the side, her eyes then falling into her lap as her fingers played with one another.

"I don't think…there isn't really a way to describe it, ya know?" she began meekly. "It's like…all these things at once; physically it's this sensation of…just nothing you've ever felt before. You're whole body starts to tingle and before you know it you're being swept away to this place." Before long all the self-consciousness had left her and she allowed the memories of her emotions to release themselves candidly, almost as though she were just thinking aloud as opposed to retelling the events.

"Emotionally…emotionally…I don't know how to explain it." She turned to Sharpay in hope of getting some help from somebody who had also had a sexual experience but, as Taylor was, Sharpay was muted, too engrossed in the tale. Gabriella's spine curved as she slumped, allowing herself time to really figure out how to express what she felt. "It's kind of surreal," she said quietly. "I mean, this guy's taking from you everything; even if you were to be with another guy in that way, it would never be the same cuz he's already been given your first times. Knowing that, knowing that you've given yourself to him completely, I think it just makes it more special. I feel like I trust Troy more,"

"The way you guys have always been I didn't think that was possible," Taylor chided, but Gabriella didn't seem to notice.

"I feel the bond between us is, like, waaay stronger now…and…God," her guard slipped completely, and without a trace of embarrassment, reserve or shyness the words: "I, like, want him all the time now," left her lips, closely followed by a sigh.

******

In contrast to the girls' sleepover, where the room had been perfectly organised and was fit for company, Jason's room was a complete mess; clothes lay upon clothes, the laundry basket failed to contain the masses of rancid clothes that had been haphazardly dumped in it and with random food rappers appearing over his room, it gave the impression that Jason had long forgotten the purpose of bin. Again in contrast to the girls, the guys seemed blind to this filth and happily shoved clothes aside to create seating space and followed Jason's example of just dropping food containers about them.

Having each just consumed one 'Super-man' pizza (the pizza so large it was designed only for the 'real men') they had each sprawled themselves across available spaces in the confines of Jason's room, groaning with indigestion, and propped their bodies against various furniture items: Jason's bed, desk, wardrobe - anything.

"Dude," Jason grumbled as he half sat/half lay on his floor; his left elbow keeping some of his body propped up as he was slumped onto his side from the waist up. "How come you've never told us about the sex between you and Gabriella; she lousy or somethin?" Jason said bluntly, never seeing a reason to skirt around the topic on his mind. Then, his eyes suddenly opened wide, his face with a goofy grin; "Are _you_ lousy?"

Before Troy submitted a response he picked up a greasy t-shirt that lay close to him, tossing it towards Jason, even with Troy's minimal effort the item landed on Jason's head. "Get lost, Jase I told you not to go there with Gabi."

Like small terrier dogs hearing an unfamiliar noise, both Chad and Zeke's ears pricked up; their eyes shifting between their two friends but their bodies remaining stationary.

"Come on, Troy," Jason pressed, his words tainted by a minor beer-induced slur. "You're getting laid by Gabriella - Gabriella!" he repeated with added weight. "I don't think any of us woulda put money on that. I mean, shy genius chick by day and vixen by night? You _gotta_ tell us what that's like," Jason insisted.

"Shut the fuck up, Jason," Troy demanded, glaring at his friend. "Gabriella's special, 'kay? What we have is special," Suddenly energized, Troy sat up, his body fully erected, animated. "She isn't one of those girls that require nothing more than a cheap-ass chat-up line from you in return for a blow in the back of your car." Troy's brows had furrowed with fury as he scolded his friend at his seeming over-interest in the physical relationship with his girlfriend.

Not having been blessed with brains at birth - and the alcohol in his system only hindering that fact - most things, as this comment did, darted over Jason's head. "Yeesh," was his reply. "Someone's snappy," and then slouched back onto the floor, his upper arm cushioning his head.

By anybody's definition, Jason Cross was a whore. He hadn't always been that way, but the fact was undeniable. Until his Sophomore year, Jason had actually believed in love - had also believed he'd found 'the one' - but that belief crashed and burned the day he entered his girlfriend's room without knocking, only to find her yanking her hand away from the engorged penis of a West High Junior upon his appearance. He remembered feeling consumed by flames that wrapped their fingers slowly around his heart, suffocating it until it was limp and lifeless, burning him some place deep within as he wept that night gazing at photos of the two of them during happier times. This continued for two weeks; a fire, a combination of hate, self-pity, betrayal and countless other emotions that he, at that young age, was unable to comprehend, until - on what was to be the fifteenth morning of his 'funk' - he felt nothing.

Ice coursed through his veins, his heart kept up a continuously unfaltering pace, as though he had lost the capacity to feel or be moved by even the most momentous of things. He began to live by his new-found motto: "No pain, just gain"; allowing himself to feel all of the physical pleasures of sex without having previously made any of the emotional attachments.

In this way he and Troy differed the most. Jason was literally incapable of making any emotional connection to a female before their bodies united, Troy, on the other hand, felt that the latter could not be achieved outside of a steady relationship, based on love and trust.

Being at the top of the food chain - Captain of the basketball team - Troy was fully aware of all of the 'unions' made by fellow team-mates. Every guy - virgin or non - would stick around in the locker rooms, either exchanging tales or posing questions with curious minds, and Troy would have been lying had he denied requesting more information on the topic, being the wide-eyes teen he was when it came to that matter. He also recalled clearly that feeling of unease when speaking to the girlfriends of those indiscreet guys only hours after, having rather graphic images of them in his carved into mind as they conversed, completely unaware of the knowledge Troy possessed of them and the sexual endeavours they had thought private. Even before he and Gabriella had consummated their relationship, he had promised himself that he wouldn't bestow that shame on her; marring the image of her in the mind of so many by publicising anything that had to do with their physicality in anything other than ambiguous detail.

"Yeah and I'll be like that every time you start getting into stuff that doesn't concern anyone other than Ella an' me, alright?" Troy asked, wanting to make sure his friend had received the message.

In response, Jason merely grunted and waved his hand floppily, the issue being sealed.

Troy was calm now and turned to Chad with a subject he had been meaning to raise for the last few days. "So, Chad, you gonna make a move on Taylor or you just gonna keep being a girl 'bout it?"

Now it was Chad's turn for his body to suddenly erect itself. "What?" His voice was an octave or two higher than it would've usually been, and the blood was seen gathering in his cheeks even through his coffee-coloured skin. "Mckessie? No way!" His reply was scoffed an almost passable but he was then unable to keep his eyes from flickering to the left, showing his guilt.

"Dude!" Zeke called. "Taylor seriously?" Zeke laughed clapping his friend on his bare bicep with his large palm.

"What dya mean? Why do you sound so surprised?" Chad was already in attack mode, prepared to defend Taylor if needed to. "Taylor is a very smart, pretty, funny girl. Any guy would be lucky to have her."

"Jeez, I thought you would be easier to break than that," Troy chided. "So why don't you go for it, man? Right now you're not fooling anybody with your 'sit here, Taylor,' 'let me take your bags, Taylor' routine. Just ask her out." Troy heard an indistinct mumble pass through Chad's lips and inclined towards his friend, asking him to repeat it.

"She wouldn't like me, alright?" Chad repeated sounding almost ashamed of the fact. His trustworthy brown orbs were suddenly concealed by the mass of untamed curls as he hung his head away from the gaze of his buddies. "I mean, when you think of it, why would she?" he asked. "She's gorgeous for a start, has an awesome sense of humour and the only girl that can match her for intelligence is Gabriella." His head rose again and he shrugged his shoulders, the muscles underneath his black vest clearly tensed. "She probably sees me as…I don't know a lunk-head basketball guy; and she'd be right," he conceded, his voice thick with defeat.

"Chad, us lot, we're like brothers, right?" Zeke asked with a tenderness to him that was rarely heard outside of talking to Sharpay. "And yeah, Taylor's like…genius or whatever but you're an awesome guy," he glanced over at Troy and Jason who nodded in agreement. "I think you have as much chance as some…Science wiz-kid." Zeke chuckled, nudging his friend who was slightly more upbeat since receiving his praise, "Take a shot, dude."

******

A muted vibration disturbed Gabriella from her reading. Curved in a slight upright position, the brunette set down her copy of Jane Eyre. Rochester was leading up to his proposal and Gabriella was visibly irked at who ever had decided to call at such an hour (wrong number, she had thought) and wrench her out of the nineteenth century. Her slender slipped under her firm pillow and located the offending item. When she spied a particular blue-eyed babe beaming up at her from the screen of her mobile, all annoyance was released as she accepted the call. She didn't speak right away, even though she could hear her boyfriend's perplexed voice calling her name on the other side. She set her feet carefully on the ground after swinging them over the side of her bed and then crept carefully around the two bodies that were deep in a slumberous cocoon.

Safely out of her bedroom she answered in a whisper, "Troy? Hey," and proceeded down the steps, perching herself about halfway down the staircase, with her head resting against the magenta wall.

"Hi," Troy replied. The sound of her gentle voice had already created a swell of heat in his stomach and mirroring her action - though he was unable to physically see her - his head fell back against the bathroom door. "I know I promised not to call but I had to," he began with an embarrassed guilt in his voice. "I didn't wake you did I?"

"No, I was reading, the girls have fallen asleep but I wasn't really tired. I missed you," she cooed as she absent-mindedly began to stroke her treasured 'T' necklace between her thumb and index finger. "What are you doing?"

"I'm at Jason's, I snuck away to call you so I wont have long before they realise, order me out and confiscate my phone," he laughed, stretching his legs out before himself.

"Aww you guys having a sleepover, too."

"Shut up, guys 'crash' we don't 'sleepover.'" Something about the sound of Gabriella honey- like giggle always made his insides melt, his mannerisms always reverting into those of a fourteen year old boy who was unable to control himself in the presence of the prettiest girl. "Ella? I love you," Troy suddenly said. Having once again witnessed the mess that was Jason's emotions, it had enforced for him just how lucky he was to have found somebody as perfect as Gabriella that was able to return his love with as much fervour as he gave it.

"Is everything okay?" she asked dubiously at his sudden statement. When Troy replied in the affirmative, she sighed, replying, "I love you too, Troy Bolton. So tell me how you managed to sneak out of Jason's room?"

"Well they're all in their talking about whether Angelina Jolie or Charlize Theron would make better kissers, I got kind of bored and started to think of you - repeat that and I'll deny those words ever left my mouth - so I just slipped out. I wasn't saying much anyway so I don't think they noticed."

They spoke for several minutes but not about anything in particular; just happy to hear the voice of one another. As Troy had predicted, about fifteen minutes into their conversation, the booming voices of Chad, Jason and Zeke invaded their private moment, three of their fists pounding the door and demanding his exit while scolding him for being a 'whipped traitor.'

******

Sharpay's squared finger nails rattled persistently of the wooden door to Gabriella's changing room. "Sweet Jesus, Gabriella, come out already," she sighed, her fifth attempt in the last six minutes to get Gabriella to leave the small cubicle - she had taken over when Taylor had resigned herself from the task.

"No," Gabriella replied obstinately, pouting behind the maple wood. Her arms folded shyly over her naked stomach even though she was concealed from the view of others, and every few minutes her head would do a slight turn to her left, her orbs glancing over her shoulder to inspect the image of herself. "I'm not leaving."

"This is ridiculous!" A sharp exhaled passed through Sharpay's pencil-thin lips as she turned from the door, her back to it, her head banging lightly against the hard surface. "Gabriella Montez if you do not leave that room in ten--" she squealed as a cool hand snatched the back of her indigo ruffled blouse, yanking her backwards into the room.

"Gabriella!" she admonished, straightening out her top and readjusting herself, having stumbled after the surprising force of Gabriella's hold. "You could've killed me! Do you know what this co--" Her voice trailed off an in a similar way, her eyes trailed over Gabriella's upper body, having finally realised that she had been granted permission - even if it was in a semi-violent way - to see Gabriella. "Oh…my…God,"

Her words made the bold Gabriella retire, the regular timid Gabriella return and attempt to hide herself from her friend's eyes. Before she knew it, she had been squished into a corner, her back pressed uncomfortably onto the ice-cold glass as Taylor had been pulled into the changing room by Sharpay - in a similar fashion to the way she had Sharpay.

"Troy's gonna think his Christmas has come early when he sees you," Sharpay gleamed, admiring her work. "In fact," she said slowly, enumerating, "Christmas, birthday, anniversary…any date he gets a gift." She winked at Gabriella with a saucy smirk.

"She's right," Taylor agreed. "It really suits you and…enhances everything."

"I don't--" Gabriella began, already preparing to get changed into something more comfortable.

"Ah-ah-ah," Sharpay wagged her finger slowly. "Not backing out. Gabriella you aren't even buying it so you have no arguments against it." Sharpay had offered to buy the item, telling Gabriella when she had resisted not to make a big deal out of it, requiring only that she 'say thanks' (with an almost dirty wink) the next day at school.

******

Gabriella had long ago deemed herself a failure when it came to the issue of 'talking sexy' - although Troy disputed that fact vehemently - so having already resigned herself to this, she picked up her phone, hit the second speed-dail key (her Mom occupied the first) and listened patiently for the ringing to cease.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be up, Miss?" Troy teased upon answering.

Gabriella rolled her mocha eyes and tried her best to stifle her giggle. "My Mom's gone out to drop something off at a friend's - some kind of dire work emergency and I'm here alone and…got kind of bored." She whispered slightly, her intent hinting at where the conversation was leading.

"You don't want to watch a movie or something?" Troy asked.

She hesitated for a minute before answering; should couldn't quite figure out if he was being deliberately vacant and playing with her or if he was honestly missing her obvious remarks. "Nah, I put on one," she lied. "But it wasn't doing anything for me. I was hoping for something a little more…interesting." She gnawed at her bottom lip profusely.

******

Just over fifteen minutes had elapsed after Gabriella hung up her phone, the smallest smile gracing her lips when she heard the audible rustlings coming from her balcony, alerting her to Troy's presence. The light thud of his trainers landing on the patio floor was one that had become increasingly familiar to Gabriella. Many nights since the thunder storm had Troy used that method of entry although they weren't always together in the same way as it had that night; sometimes they would just talk (hushed whispers, rather, on the days Ms. Montez was home) and lie together, usually after a stressful school day or having been parted due to their several extra-curricular activities.

The French door smoothly swung open as Troy walked in with deliberate steps, careful not to trip over the fairy lights that traipsed over the floor, twinkling like stars in a midnight sky. He'd left his trainers on the patio, not wanting to dirty the floor with the mud from the garden and was left in thin black socks that sheathed his feet. The rest of his clothing, too, was dark - he didn't want to risk being seen by his parents cutting across their lawn and into the streets. He wore charcoal grey cargo pants that came just below his knees and a navy t-shirt, one more baggy than Gabriella was used to seeing him wear.

"Hey," he whispered as he mounted the bed, his body already covering half of Gabriella as he pressed a kiss just underneath her ear.

"Hi," was her breathy reply as she tipped back her head and allowed Troy to suckle on the soft flesh. "Hmm…"

"How long is your Mom gone?" he questioned, his hand wasting no time in travelling slowly up her leg and moulding itself onto Gabriella's rounded bum, eliciting a slight giggle from his girlfriend.

"Few hours," she replied hastily before pulling hard on his broad shoulders, enabling their lips to meet.

Troy felt his bottom lip get caught between Gabriella's teeth a nibbling action following that. Out of all the techniques used by Gabriella when kissing Troy, that was by far his favourite, there being a somewhat primal feel to the action as though Gabriella craved him and was unable to resist.

As Troy's tongue desperately plunged into her mouth, dominating her more gentle tongue with his own, he made fast work of undoing the three buttons from her black cardigan that had previously been impeding his attempts to really touch her, excite her in the way he wanted. The kiss remained while Gabriella lifted her torso from the bed, allowing herself to be freed from the cotton sleeves. His burning hand slithering up Gabriella's stomach to her heaving chest caused Gabriella's pants to escalate and her grip around his neck to tighten. Troy's eyes were still closed as he inched down her body slightly and began tracing little patterns onto the exposed part of her breast with his tongue. As his lips worked his hands rose to cupping and then squeezing her right breast…it wasn't what he was expecting, however.

"What's this?" he asked, lifting his head and attempting to meet Gabriella's eyes - a task that wasn't easy as they purposely darted around the enclosure, trying to avoid Troy's. In the soft light, Troy could see the lacy bra that covered her. The deep royal blue made a shocking contrast to her lightly tanned skin complexion and with the lace so intricately designed, flowers here and there weaving into each other, it was unlike anything Troy was used to seeing Gabriella in. "Gabi," he asked again.

"Sharpay kinda…insisted we go underwear shopping," she said about the piece shyly.

"Uhh…why? Or do girls just generally do that?"

Had she not been so embarrassed Gabriella would've probably laughed at Troy's confused tone. "Well…we do but…" She rolled her eyes and decided to cut her losses. The longer this conversation to, the longer it meant not kissing Troy, touching Troy, feeling Troy in places that raged inside her, demanding attention from the Adonis. "She freaked when I said I didn't have any underwear like…well like this. She said that…that it drove Zeke wild when she wore stuff like that and said that it was more…that it was sexier that the stuff I had."

Troy sighed and shook his head; his brows strands didn't move however, being pasted to his forehead with sweat. "Gabi. You can't get any sexier to me, I thought you knew that. Are you comfortable in that?" he had to ask the question twice before Gabriella timidly shook her head. "Then that doesn't matter to me. Sharpay, this is who she is," he indicated towards the bra. "And that's cool for her and Zeke, but it isn't you. I'd much rather you in your regular 'Gabi' underwear with the little hearts on it and stuff." He smirked and Gabriella giggled a little.

"So…you don't like it?" she asked, her hands still massaging his shoulders lightly.

With his hand stroking her curved waist, he answered, "Is it hot? Hell yeah. If you feel like putting this down and sometime in the future letting it make a reappearance, you wont have any arguments from me but I was Gabriella right now, not Sharpay." He leant down, joining their lips more tenderly than before.

******

Their hungry caresses were soon resumed after Gabriella had assured Troy that she had heard his truthful words. Troy had been stripped of his t-shirt and if his intense desire for Gabriella hadn't been burning inside of him he was sure he would've been cold, the glistening sweat on his chest now exposed to the air of Gabriella's room.

"Fuck," he moaned as the sound of his pant button popping open echoed around the room, mingling with their cries, as his fly was roughly pulled down and as Gabriella's cool hand slipped beneath the material and grazed over his erection. Even through the cotton material of his green boxers the sensation caused his cerulean orbs to flit from view as his eyelids clamped together.

Just as her hands were toying with Troy his were skilfully teasing her sensitive folds. She was wearing shorts so there hadn't been the need to discard them just yet as all was within reach. He gave Gabriella the same treatment, his fingers softly gliding over her panties, each time making her whimper, hiss, seep with arousal. As one slender finger entered her before quickly retracting and driving Gabriella wild, she decided to turn the heat up, wrapping her hand fully around the engorged shaft that continued to protrude from underneath his boxers. She squeezed at the member and allowed her hand to dip further down, tickling his balls.

It was a sensation rarely felt by Troy, Gabriella not yet comfortable enough to approach that area whilst he was naked, and so the feeling of it caused a grumble to bubble up through his stomach, emerging from his lips a deep, unadulterated moan. Once again, Troy's lips returned to sucking just above the her bra, her plump breast, determined to leave a mark.

A sound that didn't belong entered their erotic cocoon. A click. The sound of un-oiled metal scraping together. An icy gush of air stung Troy's back his head whipping around, Gabriella opening her eyes and following suit.

"Mom!"

* * *

**If that was a good chapter then I should be forgiven for such a long time since my last update :)  
Review! **

**This chapter's for Hottie, my computer would probably in a rubbish dump if it wasn't for you :)**


	15. Seventeen: It's Love

**A/N Thanks for all of the reviews for the last chapter, I got exactly the 'Oh sh*t' reactions that I was hoping for lol. I know that people are very busy this time of year, but if you could just take a few minutes out of your day to review, I, and I'm sure many other authors, would be very appreciative. In fact, I think the reading of A/Ns should automatically bind you to review ;)  
Obviously, this is the first time that I've done so many chapters for one age (ie. 17), and there will be one final chapter after this one, before I move on to 18. I'd like your feedback on this; do you prefer my previous format of two chapters per age or do you like more? Let me know**

**Rereading my previous chapters yesterday (yes, I do that) I noticed a little error on my part. Did nobody notice that the name of the guy that fractured Troy's nose on their first day of high school _and_ the guy that asked Gabriella to the dance was Tommy Cooper? I didn't lol. Clearly, I have an affinity for that name, but my proof reading has since improved so - hopefully - I won't make any more mistakes like that.**

**Hope you enjoy and I really hope you review =)**

**Disclaimer: Nothing but the idea is owned by me. Everything else belongs to the writers and creators of HSM**

**Rated M for language and sexual scenes**

* * *

Luckily for Troy, though perhaps 'lucky' wasn't the right word considering his current predicament, the entry of Gabriella's mother - who also happened to be a family friend and his God Mother - had the same effect as a cold shower. Instantly, upon hearing Gabriella's exclamation when her mother appeared, he felt his once-rigid shaft fall completely limp, shrinking back into his boxers. His body acted before his brain could. Catapulting off of Gabriella, he turned towards the wall, his back facing Maria, as he jerked up his fly and slipped the metal button back through its hole. When his body spun back around, Maria was still in the doorway and Gabriella snatched his t-shirt from the floor, pulling it roughly over her head -- she thought her being half naked would hardly help her case.

Troy began to approach Maria, his hands raised, parallel with his shoulders and bent at the elbows. "Ms. Mon--" Before his defence had time to bounce off of his dry tongue and through his lips Maria shot him a cold look, her eyes narrowed as her right hand raised to silence him.

"Don't," was all she said.

"Mom, we didn't--" Gabriella then attempted, but she got a similar response. Her body curled back as her mother glared at her -- a look she hadn't seen in all of her seventeen years. She had the sense to silence herself when her mother pointed towards her, though her eyes all the while on Troy who still stood bare-chested (Gabriella having located his shirt, first, for her own use).

"Be quiet, Gabriella," Maria demanded. "Troy," she began slowly, her tongue gliding over the surface of her teeth as a way of calming herself. "Put some clothes on," she said. Gabriella then shuffled over to Troy, avoiding her mother's gaze, and handed him a navy hoodie of his that she had taken as her own months before. "Put some clothes on," she repeated as Troy pulled it on. "And go home." Troy nodded, but then she had a sudden flashback of her car pulling into the drive some minutes before. "Wait, your car isn't outside," she commented as she knitted her brows slightly. "So how…" as she spoke, she noticed Gabriella's balcony door slightly ajar. Gabriella's lamp threw a little glow onto the balcony, highlighting Troy's trainers perched outside. "Huh," she said.

"Ma, this--"

"Gabriella Ana Montez!" Maria snapped. "Let the Lord bless you if you speak another word." Her eyes closed as she resisted the tempting scarlet gleam that she tried to seduce her. "When I'm ready for you, you will know, until then…" Gabriella got the message. "Get your trainers, Troy, I'm taking you home."

With his eyes fixed upon the wooden flooring beneath his feet, Troy moved towards the balcony door, which he pulled open quickly, conscious of letting in the cool morning air, and retrieved his sleek, black converse. He shoved his foot into them, not even bothering to pull the laces apart and nodded at Maria, telling her that he was ready to leave. At this time, Gabriella was sat silently on her bed, her short legs folded with her chin propped on her bony knees. Maria leading the way, Troy paced towards the open bedroom door, shooting a final apologetic glance at his girlfriend before both he and Maria disappeared, concealing the outer world from Gabriella as the door closed behind them.

The sound of Maria's car softly pulling out of the driveway floated up through the yard, the panes of polished glass and into Gabriella's room. An eerie chill followed, creeping over Gabriella and curling from her spine that was hunched with the weight of the looming confrontation, all the way to her slender fingers. It was at times like these she craved Troy's warm touch, that would let every issue melt away until only the two of them remained. It was Troy's warm touch, however, that had landed her in such a precarious situation.

******

Having made the travelled journey so many times in the past, even with his eyes solemnly closed, Troy could sense exactly where they were in the journey to his house; every corner, every traffic light, he knew it all. The car slowed torturously to an end and Troy clenched his fist together and sighed inwardly. His left arm was resting on the door just by the window, his head in his palm and his forehead pressed against the cool glass a little. He pushed his head off of the glass, turning to Maria as she roughly pulled the keys from the ignition.

"Mrs. Montez, I know your really mad but…" he sighed exasperatedly, not having an idea of what he could say to mitigate the situation.

"Listen, Troy," Maria began, the coldness in her voice still present but having slightly ebbed. "When your Mom went into labour with you, I was in the waiting room." Troy's face contorted slightly at the cringe-worthy thought. "I love you like a son, there's nothing I wouldn't do for you, and that's probably the only reason you're here in this car right now - I don't know if my only connection with you was through Gabriella if I'd have cared enough to make sure you got home safely. What I'm saying is that, I don't want anything to damage our relationship," Troy shook his head earnestly. "And so the best advice I can offer you right now is just to stop talking. Okay?"

"Yes, Ma'am," he replied sheepishly before following her lead, pulling on the door handle and stepping out of the car, his right leg leading.

Lucille Bolton froze at the piercing ring that emitted from the doorbell. She had a glass of wine in hand - she had been preparing herself for the beginning of the working week - which she set down on the coffee table and glanced at her watch: 01:05am. Who was calling at this time? She rose with a tremor, a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach as she assumed the worse from her early morning visitor. With a silent prayer, she turned the lock on the door and pulled it open part way, exhaling with relief, and a trembling hand on her heart, when she saw Maria.

"Maria?" she questioned with a relieved chuckle. "Hey," she welcomed. "Is everything okay?" It was then she opened the door further, and saw her son next to her best friend; his shoulders rounded, his face concealed by the dark shadow caused by the hood that hung low over his forehead, looking extremely guilty. "Troy?" she questioned, bemused with a hand now on her waist. To Maria, she said, "What's going on?" Again, although she knew the time, she raised her slim wrist to observe the hour.

"Well, it appears our children have been making use of Gabriella's balcony." Maria waited for a few moments for Lucille to gather the meaning of her words, nodding when Lucille's lips parted, jaw dropped and she turned a disapproving gaze upon her son. When Lucille began to apologize on behalf of her son, Maria shook her head, holding her hand up to stop the flow of diffident words from Troy's mother. "Don't, Lucy, neither of us had any idea. It's not your fault. Anyway, I wanted to make sure this one got home safely, but I better go now, I've one of my own to deal with," she said, referencing the daughter that was at home, undoubtedly piecing together her case of defence.

"Thank you," Lucille said. "Get inside," she snapped in Troy's direction. His eyes yet to meet hers, he slipped past her and into the warmth of the house. "Kids, huh? I don't think either of us saw this coming." Maria shook her head in agreement. "Jack and I are going to give Troy a serious talking to, you can count on that. The three of us should probably get together and talk this over."

"A parental meeting is definitely in order."

"I'll let you get back to Gabriella. Thanks again." They parted with a hug, Lucille remaining at the door until she had seen Maria depart safely from her home. "Troy," she then said sharply. "Living room. Now!"

Troy froze on the steps when he heard his mother's voice. He had been trying to make a quick escape to the safety of his room but to no avail - his mother had always warned that she had eyes in the back of her head. "Dammit," he muttered so only he could hear, before removing his foot from the first step and instead rerouting to the living room.

He flopped onto the sofa, his legs were parted his elbows on his knees. He heard his father's weighty footsteps approaching, clearly inquisitive about the doorbell ringing and the short chatter, and released an even heavier sigh.

A curious smile played on Jack's face as he entered the living room, his head peering around the corner of the door. His head reclined as he saw Troy slouching in the sofa. With knitted brows, he looked between his wife, whose face was reddening increasingly by the moment, and his son who was silent. "What's going on?" he asked. The room was soundless. "What, nobody's gonna say anything? …Troy? …Lucille?"

His wife's eyes never left Troy but this time words slipped through her mouth. "Our son was just dropped of by Maria," was all she said.

Jack laughed, "What do you mean Maria just dropped him off? Look at the time."

"Why don't you take it from here, Troy," Lucille suggested tacitly.

Troy mumbled a string of indecipherable words, only to have Jack demand him to speak up. "Mrs. Montez caught me in Gabriella's room."

The shame in his voice made it clear to Jack that the two hadn't been caught in an intense game of scrabble and he found his heart pounding at the response. "Excuse me?" He looked at the son of his that was seated before him, his hands clasped together and his head hung low, his hood yet to be removed. "Lucille?" He then looked at his wife who nodded in conformation of what their son had admitted. "What the hell were you thinking?" Jack demanded.

"Do you know how stupid you are?!" Lucille shrilled. "You sneak out in the middle of the night doing God knows what with Gabriella. What time were you planning on sneaking in, huh? When you leave Gabriella's house at three in the morning," - for example - "who knows that, Troy? The only person that would know that you weren't in your room is Gabriella and if anything were to happen to you she wouldn't know until the morning and then it may have been too late! What would happen then?" She shoved her loose tendrils from her eyes, flustered.

"Nothing would've happened," Troy muttered.

"Ahh…the boy's a psychic now, would you look at that, Lucy," Jack quipped. "So tell us, how'd'ya know nothing would happen, Troy? Please, tell us."

"It…I've done it before," he replied.

"It get's better!" Lucille cried.

"What the hell were you thinking?" Jack persisted. Troy didn't answer. "Troy Alexander Bolton, you better look at me when I'm talking to you!" For the first time since Troy had entered the house, he lifted his heavy head and allowed his solemn eyes to look at his furious parents. Jack was towering over him, clearly angered; Lucille standing feet away, fuming with her hands on her hips, occasionally reaching for the glass of wine that she had earlier neglected.

"I don't know."

"'I don't know' isn't good enough. From my understanding you've been engaging in some very adult activities and if your man enough to handle that, then your man enough to address me like a man would, and accept the consequences like a man would."

All that was heard for the next few minutes were three simultaneous breaths; neither speaking nor connecting their eyes. Lucille was the first to break the silence, her visage and tone exhausted.

"You're not to leave this house for anything other than school or basketball practice until further notice." School was a necessity; basketball safe because of Jack's ever-present coaching methods. "No Gabriella, no parties, phones, laptops - anything." Knowing her son as well as she did, she headed him off at the pass, adding, just as he was about to cut it, "If you need the internet or anything for your school work you'll use the family computer." The family computer was in the corner of the living room, meaning that Troy wouldn't be able make contact with Gabriella (or any sites that, as a seventeen year old his parents were fully aware he was probably acquainted with) without his parents knowing. "Now get upstairs."

Silently, he rose and departed.

******

Gabriella was sat rigidly on her bed when Maria had pushed open her bedroom door. Her chocolate orbs bravely held her mother's and she wanted more than anything for the dreadful silence to be broken but had the brains to know she hadn't the right to break it.

She waited.

"Start."

"We didn't mean for…" she had planned what she was going to say perfectly, ran it over in her mind numerous times while her mother had been out of the house, but now the opportunity had presented itself, her words didn't make sense. She took a breath and started over. "I'm sorry," she said weakly. "I know how it looks but, honestly, it isn't like that." She didn't want her mother to believe her and Troy's physical relationship to be cheap and meaningless.

"To me it looked like two hormonal teenagers who had disrespected both the rules of their parents and my home. Tell me what it would look like to you."

A point to Maria.

"It isn't like that, we know what we're doing," she tried.

"How long? How long have you and Troy been sexually active?"

Oh God. Gabriella cringed, hating that phrase. "A few weeks." Maria asked when and Gabriella sighed, diverting her eyes for a moment. "When you went away on work those few days to New York."

Maria felt a stab deep in her gut, the feeling of betrayal cutting her so deep she could barely talk. As she gathered herself, to look in her daughter's eyes made the bile stir in the pit of her stomach. "I trusted you, Gabriella. I didn't want to go because I was afraid that something would go wrong while I was away and I'd be left with the guilt. But…you were so confident, so sure that you'd handle yourself. You know, on the plane I thought about how much you didn't want me to miss out on such a huge opportunity and that's why you were so eager for me to go. I had it all wrong, didn't I? It wasn't for me at all."

"That's not true," Gabriella countered, a saline tear dripping from her long lashes and onto her cheek. "It wasn't like that, we didn't plan it."

"Excuse me for finding that hard to believe."

"It wasn't! You went and then there was that storm. The power went and everything and I was so scared, I didn't know what to do. Troy came to see that I was okay and…and it just happened like that."

"So you rushed into it, that's what you're telling me!?" Maria felt as though the daughter she knew for so many years, would vouch for her on every level, had disappeared, leaving a teen enigma.

"No!" Gabriella exclaimed, offended at the idea. "I love him and he loves me, you know that! Yeah it wasn't something that we'd spoken about before but it was what we both wanted - what we still do want. I know I should've told you and I would've had it been premeditated in the sense that we'd planned it out."

"I don't know what to think right now. I walk in, he's on top of you and since then my mind's been spinning. There are so many things I should be asking you and I don't know where to start."

"We're being safe, if that's what you're worried about," Gabriella supplied, pulling the ties of the robe she was wearing to increase her warmth.

"That's just the tip of the iceberg, Gabriella. Sex can change you. It clouds your mind, can make you lose focus," she rambled. "I thought you were mature enough to understand that but now…I'm starting to wonder." She sighed and tears brimmed in her eyes, generated from the anger and confusion that was raging within her.

******

A knock rattled on Troy's bedroom door, eliciting a groan from the teen. The door soon scraped softly against Troy's flooring and Jack was revealed with a black crate grasped in his large hands, swinging down by his knees. Troy was more than familiar with the item, during his early teens when he'd been determined to test his boundaries, it had often been bought into his room, just as it was now.

Jack chucked the crate onto Troy's bed. It bounced a little before settling itself and Jack then nodded at it. "You know the drill," he said.

Troy threw his phone in first, his PSP following. He then detached his laptop from his charger, closed the open windows, shut the lid and placed it carefully in next. "I thought Mom usually did this part," he grumbled.

"Yeah well, things change."

Troy tugged the wires from the back of his television (that was the method of restricting his viewing that Jack had decided upon many years ago, not having the time to haul Troy's TV away each time he grounded his son), and along with the remote dumped that and his iPod into the crate of forbidden items. "That's everything," Troy said, lifting the crate and handing it to his dad.

Jack excepted the crate and was about to leave but then paused. The crate was under his arm as he stepped over to Troy's desk, opposite the bed where Troy was sitting, and rested it on top, freeing his arms. "Talk to me, Troy," Jack said, sounding prepared to listen. "How did we get here?"

Troy didn't want to offer another substandard answer. He shrugged and said, "I'm not some stupid kid, Dad, we are being safe and I love her."

"The first part of that sentence I'm not in the mood to guarantee as of now. The rest of it? Yeah; that you love her I don't doubt and that you're being safe I don't, either. But it isn't as simple as that. First off, condoms aren't a guaranteed form of contraception and you should know that there are several stages that conception is possible, not just through actual intercourse."

Troy knew that his dad was referring to foreplay and he had to give that to him as a valid point.

"Troy, we had all the talks when you were younger and I gave you all the information. Look, I'm not going to stand in front of you and pretend I don't know what it's like to be in your position; captain of the basketball team and the girls at your feet - high school's your kingdom. Then you find that girl - in your case, one that had always been there - you fall in love and a certain part of your body starts to do your thinking for you - I get that. I'm not saying I was expecting you to wait for marriage because I know that would've been an unrealistic expectation but, if there was one thing I did expect from you, is that you would have come to me first. The fact that you didn't, I won't lie, does disappoint me."

"I wanted to, I did," Troy insisted honestly. "I always thought I would, but it happened when I wasn't expecting it, and after that, by the time it had, I didn't know how to tell you. What, just randomly mention it at the dinner table; 'Mom can you pass the gravy? Oh, and Dad, by the way, Gabriella and I have started sleeping together'? I didn't see that going down too well. Dad, I know that you're mad and that I let you down and let mom and Mrs. Montez down but I didn't mean to and I'm sorry."

"The person you've let down more than anybody, Troy, is yourself, and _that's_ what I hope you understand."

"Yeah," Troy conceded. Jack's single, firm nod signalled the end of the conversation and he once again headed for the door. "Dad?" Troy called just as Jack wrapped his fist around the door handle. "I've always looked after Gabriella, always. I love her more than anything and that wont change. I'd never put any kind of pressure on her, do anything she wasn't _completely_ comfortable with. This is something we both want."

"I just hope you know what you're getting yourself into."

******

"You always told me that making love was only meant to be between two people in love. We're in love, Mom, and you know that but now you're telling me that I shouldn't be doing it?"

"You sound like you're trying to call me a hypocrite, Gabriella, and I'd advise you to watch yourself, young lady. I'm saying that you're too young to be fully aware of what a physical relationship really entails."

"No, I'm not!" She wasn't quite yelling at her mother, she knew their relationship would be forever damaged had she made that transgression, but her voice was louder than was usually acceptable - anything to make herself heard.

Maria saw that her daughter wasn't going to have her mind changed, she was as stubborn as her father, and quite frankly Maria was exhausted and could no longer be asked. She held Gabriella's eyes for a moment, the steel in their orbs matching one another's equally, and then shook her head. "You've got school in the morning, get to bed," was all Maria said before heading to the door.

"I know you don't think I am," Gabriella suddenly said. "But I'm ready." There was a pleading tone in her voice, a slight weakness evident.

"Thinking you're ready and actually being ready are two different things."

The door closed behind Maria, the light from the hallway disappearing, leaving Gabriella with only the insignificant glow from her blown-glass lamp. As she curled into bed, a loneliness that she hadn't experienced in a while overwhelm her. She felt a guilt that she couldn't comprehend. Why was she being condemned for having such a relationship with the young man she loved? In actual fact she hadn't deviated from the rules her mother had so avidly enforced on her, making sure that she understood the crucial importance of them. She had waited for the right time, as promised. But on this occasion, for Gabriella, being right, was putting her in the wrong.

******

Troy resisted the urge to smash something into a wall when his alarm sounded a few hours later, waking him for school. His sleep had been terrible (barely deserving of the term 'sleep'), he'd tossed and turned for ages, trying to rid his mind of thoughts and when he'd finally settled himself to an almost-slumber, the sun had risen, the birds twittering, demolishing any hope he had to capture even a few hours' rest.

He swung his legs off of the edge of his bed, and sighed deeply. He had a desperate urge to see Gabriella, an urge unlikw from the many he had experience the night before that had only sky-rocketed when Gabriella's sweet voice had invited him over. Usually, had they had to cut short their rendezvous, Troy would have been left sexually frustrated, snappy until he had been satiated. This time however, the only thing that would satisfy him would be to see Gabriella, to talk to her, to see that all was alright. Undoubtedly her and Mrs. Motez's conversation wouldn't have been as pleasurable as a walk in the park, but if he knew he could at least comfort her, somehow things wouldn't seem as harsh.

For a split second, the idea flashed across his mind and he considered slipping through his window and running to see her. He wouldn't have stayed long; only a few minutes to soothe his worries. His notion didn't last very long, however. He knew that he would've signed his death warrant had he been caught, so instead he had to settle for seeing her at school.

He rushed around his room, a blur of green and white - having slept in his boxers and a white vest - not wanting to waist any time before being able to lay his eyes on his girlfriend, hold her, kiss her, tell her that everything was all right.

******

When Gabriella woke that morning, a heavy weight sagged in the pit of her stomach. She splashed cold water on her face once she reached the bathroom, doing anything to cleanse away the memories of the early hours of that morning. Her feet forcefully dragged her petite body downstairs. She could have happily remained concealed in the upper part of the house, appearing only a few minutes before she knew her mother would be ready to leave for work, but her stomach demanded otherwise; growling with hunger in rebellion to her plan.

She eased herself through the kitchen door, trying to be as inoffensive as humanly possible. With a slight, forced smile on her lips, she entered. She sucked in a breath, filling her lung with the air required to greet her mother.

The room was empty.

"Ma?" she called hesitantly. With her head craned forward, shuffling slowly on her toes, Gabriella inspected the kitchen in search of her mother, but she had no luck. "Ma?" she called once more, this time a little louder, before spotting a scrap of blue paper on the kitchen counter.

She grabbed the juice carton that had been left out, sloshing the remaining contents into a glass tumbler as she approached what she assumed to be a note. She handled the paper lightly in her left hand, her right raising the glass to her parched lips. Her mouth as dry as the Saharan desert, her throat gladly welcomed the cool liquid as it slithered down her pipes. While quenching her thirst, Gabriella's brows furrowed at the scrawled message. It's simplicity confused her; it wasn't the type of note her mother would have usually left; no kisses, no 'I love you', or any other term of endearment; just the basic, necessary information. She supposed she should have expected it, being so severely in trouble, but this lead her to believe things to be worse than she had anticipated. She sighed, dropping to note back down on the counter before heading off to the bathroom. It floated through the air before settling on the cold work surface. It read:

_Left early, Gabriella. _

_Will be back at 5._

******

Gabriella walked through school in a daze for the first ten or so minutes, mindlessly nodded to the never-ending flow of words that poured from Taylor's mouth. With the books she would soon be needing clutched to her chest and her bag over her shoulder, her eyes keenly inspected the crowds, just waiting for that glimpse of cobalt blue that would set her mind at ease.

"So, what do you say?" Taylor asked. "Gabs." Still getting no response from her vacant friend, Taylor nudged her elbow into Gabriella's ribs. "Gabs!"

"Huh?" Gabriella tutted, obviously annoyed at the terse interruption. "What, Tay?" she said with an exasperated sigh, peeling her eyes from the crowd to meet those of her friend.

"Gee, I didn't realise I was boring you. You should've said - hell I wouldn't have spent the last ten minutes _apparently_ talking to myself had I realised ." Sharply, Taylor head snapped forward in her bid to shut Gabriella out just as she had done her, the silver pendant that she wore about her neck flying up a little as she did so, the cool metal soon settling back down against her dark skin.

"Taylor, it isn't you, 'kay?" Gabriella tried apologetically. "I just…I've…" she sighed, gliding her fingers through her slightly tangled curls. "I've kinda got some things going on right now, I'm a little out of it," she explained, hoping to win Taylor around and prove that it was more than just a dismissive rudeness on her part. "So, what is it?" Taylor failed to answer, instead shooting a dubious look over to Gabriella. "C'mon, Tay, you're not gonna tell me?"

Taylor paused in the middle of the hallway, her lips tight as she made a quick assessment of Gabriella's apology; deciding it to have been genuine. "Sharpay. I was talking Sharpay. I don't know, but I think there's some stuff going on between her and Zeke right now, and I thought maybe it'd be good for her if we went out tonight. Nothing that'd keep up out late, of course - it's a school night after all and a guy just isn't worth the drop in grades - maybe just a movie, a couple hours at the mall. We all had so much fun over the weekend and I just thought maybe it'd help her, if something was going on, to take her mind off things." Taylor's brows rose as she waited for Gabriella's response. She had expected and immediate agreement from Gabriella, a girl that seldom resisted helping others, so when an atypical hesitation met her suggestion, Taylor drew back, awaiting Gabriella's excuse.

"It's not that I don't want to," she began hastily, not wanting to seem self-involved. "I just can't."

"Gabriella, no, you can't bail to hang with Troy," Taylor insisted, becoming increasingly jaded by Gabriella's constant attachment to her boyfriend. It wasn't that Taylor didn't understand the ever-consuming need to be in the presence of a loved one, she had an older sister and had witnessed it all, but she was a firm believer in keeping up simultaneous relationships with friends and family, no matter the importance of the partner.

"Taylor it isn't like that, not this time," Gabriella sighed once more.

"No?"

Her reply was a firm, "No. I can't cuz…I'm…" just as the words were about to leave her mouth, she was greeted with a buoyant 'hey, Gabriella," from one of Troy's team mates. To say they were friends would be severely pushing it, therefore Gabriella didn't care enough to throw back anything more that a spiritless, 'hi' before quickly resuming her conversation with Taylor, signalling to the tall basketball player her intention not to stop. "Yeah," she recommenced. "I'm can't come cuz…I'm grounded."

Taylor's laugh, Gabriella was certain, was heard all the way down at West High; every student in the corridor, at least, paused for a nanosecond and fixed their eyes on the pair - and then in true high school fashion continued with their previous activities.

"You? Grounded? Gonna need to give me something more convincing than that, Gabriella." Taylor chuckled, her offence of being thought simple enough to buy such a ludicrous excuse being quashed by its humour. "I can count the amount of times on one hand that, in all the years we've been friends - sisters practically - you've ever missed curfew; can't think of a single time when it was anything over ten minutes. What could Gabriella Montez could have _possibly_ done to warrant a _grounding_?" Taylor teased mercilessly.

Gabriella tentatively rubbed her glossed lips together, tasting the sweetness of the cherry flavouring as she did so, hesitating before admitting in an embarrassed, hushed voice, her head craned forward until there was no more than a few inches between her and Taylor's faces - not wanting to risk the information finding anyone else - "My mom…she sort of…me and Troy, she caught us together."

******

Zeke approached Troy who was seated on the hood of his battered truck with the expression of a man pondering the world, and gave him a manly shoulder-pat. "Hey man," he greeted casually. He registered Troy's lack of a reply - a mere head nod - but continued despite that, "So we were gonna use free period to practice, what do you think?"

"Can't. Sorry," came Troy's short reply. His future was in basketball, he had always known that, but no matter the importance of the sport in his life, it was all futile without Gabriella by his side; right now it was her he was more concerned about.

"Dude, you're blowing off practice? What's with that?" Zeke asked incredulously.

At that moment, Jason and Chad weaved through the cars scattered over the parking lot, heading over to Troy's truck - a frequent meeting place for the Wildcats. "What's this?" Jason asked as he and Zeke bumped fists.

"Bolton says he isn't coming to free period practice," Zeke explained.

Simultaneously, Chad and Jason cried, "Dude!" with outraged faces.

"Look, don't bother cuz I need to talk to Ella during free period so I can't make it. End of," Troy said with a tone of finality, but that didn't stop his friends' insistent protest, As they continued to badger him, he sat back against his truck with his arms folded tightly across his chest. An obstinate look fixed onto his face as he shifted his eyes from them, letting them focus instead on random happenings; clouds disintegrating; students arguing over parking spaces.

"Troy," Chad pressed. He closed in on his friend, his long index and middle fingers bound together, prodding occasionally into Troy's solid chest. "We're almost at the end of the season - this is make or break. If we don't practice every available hour then this could screw with the rest of hour lives, don't you get that? You and Gabriella are together practically every minute; you're gonna spend lunch with her _and_ you're gonna drop her home. Can't whatever you have to talk about wait till then? Seriously."

Troy sucked in deep breaths every few minutes, as his tongue wedged itself firmly into his cheek, tracing small patterns against his gum. He zoned out after a while, not particularly caring what either of them had to say about his decision, instead focusing on his impending conversation with Gabriella.

"…We're all like brothers, Troy, right?"

He heard Jason say, seemingly far off in the distance.

"And when you're bro's being stupid you tell him, right?" Jason suspended for a moment, as though expecting Troy to actually respond. When he realised his expectation was delusional, he continued. "So I'm telling you, as a practical brother, that sometimes you get your priorities messed up and--"

"Shut. The hell. Up." Troy suddenly commanded, with an eerie calmness, his voice steady, his face as composed as ever. "I'd do anything for this fucking team," he said, his voice not raised in the slightest. "I've run practices that didn't finish till…sometimes eleven o'clock at night, alright? I've stayed awake when my damn eyes are stinging, watching back videos of our plays, trying to see how we can improve. But you know what? I have a life. I have a girlfriend." As he spoke Chad, Jason and Zeke all visibly began to shrink, having only witnessed this side of Troy a handful of times in all of the years of their friendship. Once this button had been pushed, Troy was lethal, they would never know what would get said in the heat of the moment. "And once in a fucking while she's gonna come first and I don't give a goddamn what anyone thinks of that. I'm only one guy on this team, and if, for one practice, you can't handle yourselves, then maybe all the time I've spent being captain has just been wasted." By this stage his chest was heaving beneath the charcoal grey t-shirt that clutched to his well-formed torso. He dropped his head down towards the ground for a minute, silence surrounding him as he gathered his thoughts, and then raised it. He stepped away, stuck his hand through the open window of his truck and grabbed his books. When he returned, he simply said to them, "Do you what you want with practice but I wont be there."

As he marched towards the school building, the three losing sight of him somewhere around the spewing fountain, Chad, Jason and Zeke's eyes flicked between them, each muted with shock. Bemused, Chad shook his head and brushed his wild curls back from his forehead. It was clear by Troy's sudden unjustified rage that there was an issue far deeper than a skipped practice that was bothering him and they knew to proceed, before the issue could be rectified among the group, they would have to find out what it was.

******

Meanwhile, as Troy was busy offloading on his friends, Taylor was attempting to wring every morsel of information from Gabriella; who was understandably unappreciative at the humour her friend was drawing from her perilous situation. "Kay, wait, wait, wait," Taylor said, attempting in vain to stifle her erupting giggles. The two had walked halfway across the school building - the distance from their lockers to homeroom - and had discussed the matter the whole way.

They were now within sight of Ms. Darbus' class and Gabriella began to tense, her skin beginning to tingle, with the knowledge that she'd soon come face to face with Troy for the first time since he had been escorted from her house by her mother.

"Must I repeat it, Taylor?" she asked, her tone exasperated and embarrassed. "There isn't really a way to misunderstand what I've told you."

"I know, I know. Please just one more time, though, I want to get it straight. Exactly _how_ bad was it?"

"Well, Troy had a boner, my hand was down his pants and we were half naked. Clear enough?" With that she stalked away, passing through the door of the classroom and finding her desk immediately.

She had deliberately taken a path around the back of the room, rather than passing Troy's desk as she usually would (sending him a little smile, sometimes a cheeky wink as she did). Her plan of avoidance failed to work, however, as Troy immediately swivelled on his chair after her entrance, seemingly sensing her presence. He sought her eyes desperately, but she refused to acquiesce and give him just a glint of her brown orbs and continued to arrange her desk with an unnecessary precision, prickling at the intensity of his unwavering gaze all the while. A slip of paper floated down to the ground after slipping out from beneath one of her books. Thinking it was just a scrap, she began to scrunch it between her palms after retrieving it from the floor but then, she saw that familiar scribble. She discreetly unfolded the piece, smoothing it out with her fingers before the words were once again intelligible. The note was simple and clearly rushed:

_Free period?_

_Love you _

_Txx _

_******_

Gabriella allowed the ice cold metal of her locker to soothe her momentarily, numb her brain so she was unable to worry. She was gently retrieved from her reverie when a warm hand lay on her shoulder, its heat radiating through the light cotton material of her cropped mustard cardigan. Slowly, she turned.

"Hi," she whispered. She coiled her arms around his waist and nuzzled her head into his shirt, basking in his scent.

"Hey," Troy cooed softly, his thin lips pressing against her forehead while his hand traversed her back in a comforting gesture. "I've only got a few minutes before class but I had to see you. You're coming to the roof, right?" he asked, in reference to the note he had left in her desk. She hadn't even looked at him - given him a small nod, at least - after reading the note and had purposely struck up a conversation after class with Ms. Darbus, succeeding in her avoidance of him.

With much resistance she pulled her head from his chest and looked up at his imploring eyes. "Troy," she hesitated. Troy noticed her eyes disconnect from her for a split second but she soon continued so he thought nothing of it. "Maybe it isn't a good idea. I mean…you shouldn't be getting in anymore trouble and--"

"What do you mean?" The penny finally dropped for him. He turned his head, scanning the halls for the object that had previously diverted Gabriella's attention and sure enough he saw his dad disappearing into the staff room, his clipboard, as usual, in hand. "Forget about that," he insisted. "We're at school, they cant stop us from being together here, they know that." His hand rose up her slender arm and she sighed, his hand rising until it cupped her warm cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing the plump flesh. "Listen, don't worry 'bout me, 'kay? Just tell me that you're gonna be there free period."

Her teeth left tiny indentations as she gnawed on her bottom lip with a contemplatory hesitation. Somehow, she was powerless to that hypnotic cerulean scrutiny and she nodded with a small flick of her head. "Okay, I'll be there," she agreed.

The all to brief connection of her lips before he departed left Gabriella craving more. The previous night had left her unsatisfied and with that slight peck to her lips, Troy had managed to rekindle those screaming urges deep within her, set a hungry fire burning throughout her body. Her tongue traced the shape of her lips, gathering every fragment of Troy's sweetness on its tip, savouring it. Pursing her lips together, a small breath escaped Gabriella as she centred herself. Her slim wrist lifted until the small hands on her watch came into view.

Two and a half hours; surely she could make it that long.

******

Troy subtly curved his body through the slight crack he had made in the door that led to the roof. The last thing he wanted was to have somebody delay his getting to Gabriella, so being clandestine was a must. He took two steps at a time spinning on his heel the second he was halfway up the staircase, beaming when he saw Gabriella, her hands clutching to the rail, her weight uncomfortably vacillating between each foot. As he neared her, an alien awkwardness over took them; they were suddenly both consumed by embarrassment, neither knowing how to approach the subject.

Troy spoke first, getting right to the point with, "How long did you get?" as he walked closer until only a few inches parted them.

"Two weeks," Gabriella shrugged. "You?"

"'Until further notice'." Troy quoted with overly-dramatic air quotations. He rolled his eyes; "Don't tell me that your sorry, Ella," he added. Knowing her all too well he was certain she had been blaming herself, needlessly. "It's not your fault."

"Yes, it is. If I hadn't called you last night - this morning…whatever - you wouldn't have come, my Mom wouldn't have caught us and you wouldn't be in trouble right now."

"Yeah you called, but I wasn't obliged to come, was I? No. I came cuz I wanted to and yeah the whole thing's majorly screwed up but…I don't know, screwed up things happened sometimes, right? We just have to deal." He threw a small smile in her direction, lacing their fingers together as he did so. He felt a warm sensation tingle through him, a relief at once again having that physical contact. For many the simple gesture of handholding was incredibly mundane, but to Troy, that special spark was never lost when he felt her hand in his. "How'd your Mom take it?" he asked as he guided her over to the wooden bench.

Gabriella snuggled into his chest as he wrapped his arm around the middle of her back. "Well…when I woke up, she was already gone," she explained. "I don't know, she freaked. I understand, I guess but…she kept telling me that I was too young, too naïve to understand sex. That really got to me cuz…I just thought she'd have more faith in me than that," she mumbled with a regretful sigh.

Troy pulled her more securely against his chest, burying his nose into her whispy strands, enjoying the feeling of them tickling his jaw. "It's the shock of it, I guess. My mom and dad said pretty much the exact same thing; dad told me that I was immature for thinking that condoms alone would protect us. I hated the way he was talking to me like I was some stupid, horny little kid." The frustration he'd released earlier that morning was slowly rebuilding as his rant continued. "Geez, gimme some credit, I could've lost my virginity way back in freshman year if I wanted to - believe me, there were offers - but no, I waited for the right person, until everything was right, only to get chewed out by him," he huffed. Not wanting him to get riled up, Gabriella gently slipped her hand underneath his shirt, grazing her fingertips over his heated bare skin in all the spots she knew he loved. He began to calm relatively quickly, his reasoning returning as he continued, "I was pretty mad when I went to bed but then I figured, say we had a kid, and we found out she was doing it with her boyfriend -- we'd be exactly the same."

Gabriella's lips twitched upward, her heart thumping painfully in her chest at Troy's casual mention of them having a family one day. It had become an often habit for him, but that fact never allowed her excitement at the idea, the candour with which he spoke, to wane.

******

"Dammit," Taylor muttered as her science books slipped from her grasp, landing on the floor in a heaped mess. As she gathered them up, her frustration evident, two large feet appeared before her. Her eyes climbed steadily, from the white trainers, the tan brown legs and slowly up the muscular chest.

"Here," Chad said with a smug smile, having witnessed Taylor very obviously checking his physique out. He scooped his arms downwards, gathering the books in one clean scoop, sticking them under his arm and offering his hand to Taylor. "There are these amazing things called bags, you know Tay, and apparently they, like, hold stuff and--"

"Ha ha, Danforth," Taylor replied, daintily brushing dust particles from the knee of her jeans where she had knelt to the ground. "Thanks, Chad," she smiled stretching her hands out to accept her books.

"Where are you heading?"

"Room 203," she answered, beginning to explain her schedule.

"Don't worry about it," he said, dismissing her offer to take the books. "I'm kind of heading that way, I'll walk you."

As they walked with the occasional banter, but most often uncomfortable silence, Taylor squirmed within. She vividly recalled overhearing the guys speaking of their free period basketball practice. Chad was in his uniform, informing her they had indeed carried through that plan. Even if Chad had been taking a short cut, room 203 was nowhere near his desired destination of the gym. He was deliberately going out of his way for her with this gallant gesture. As she looked at his animated face as she spoke, she pondered whether it was time to acknowledge those sparking feelings within, that she had long tried to ignore.

******

Ironically, at their first touch, the previously intolerable hunger of both Troy and Gabriella had dissipated. They had realised that they were more than content to just sit; be with each other as the sun bathed their closely entangled bodies. They had shared odd kisses - sweet not lustful; held each other - with love, not sexual connotations; and had just allowed the sound of the other's voice to calm them.

There time was drawing to an end, a fact they were both acutely aware of and Troy, being desperate to make their short time together as fruitful as possible, asked curiously, "what are you thinking about? You're quiet."

"What if my dad was here?" Gabriella questioned. "I mean, he was always telling me that guys were 'icky' and sometimes…" she chuckled as a smile pulled at her lips. "I wonder what he'd say if he was here and could see that, after all of his warnings, it was you that I'd fell for." She titled her head upwards, their eyes meeting as Troy too laughed at the idea.

"He'd say," he cleared his throat and puffed his chest out, getting ready to do his impersonation. "'Boy, this doesn't change anything. Sure, it'd be a shame, the relationship we have, but if you hurt Gabriella, you make her cry, I'd have to do what a dad would have to do.'"

They both laughed together , knowing just how accurate Troy had been. They had sometimes wondered, privately, never having expressed these thoughts to one another, if they had been fated to be together. It may have seemed like a crazy notion but wasn't it possible to believe that their union had been planned, written in the stars, as far back their parents meeting when they were in high school and forming a bond that had lasted so many decades? Who could have foreseen the strength of their friendship and that of their children? Perhaps somebody, a higher being, had been behind it all.

Destiny.

******

Warming up for after-school practice later that day, Troy, bouncing his ball rhythmically and lining up his shot, heard the heavy gym door open. The sound of footsteps followed and Troy turned to see Chad approaching, slowly.

"What the hell is wrong with you, man!?" Chad started immediately, his long arms stretched wide, expressing his outrage. "This morning," he said, this having been the first time he had spoken to Troy since his outburst at the start of the day. "All we were doing was protecting our backs, kay? And if you don't get that then maybe you're not the right person to be captaining this team. You were totally out order and I don't care whatever other stuff you had going on--"

"I know," Troy interjected.

Troy's admittance to his wrong-doing was completely missed by Chad who was still listing all of the reason's Troy had been wrong previously; "And another thing, if we've all been friends as long as we have and we cant tell you when you're doing something stupid or acting like a total dick then maybe," he continued, "We don't have the bond we thought we did cuz--" he came to an abrupt end. He paused, scrunching his nose in confusion as he back-tracked, replaying the final moments of the - mostly one-sided - conversation. "Wait? What?" he said to Troy.

Troy chuckled and shook his head, laughing at the length of time it had taken his friend to register his words. "I said that I know. I was totally out of order today and I owe you guys all an apology but I had so much on my mind and you guys just wouldn't drop that whole practice thing and you were just getting me so riled up and…I just flipped. I admit that I was wrong the way I reacted, but, dude you guys should have just dropped it, ya know?" He broke off, throwing the ball casually at the hoop, raising his eyebrows, impressed with the shot he had taken, and then returned his attention to Chad. "You guys should've known that I wasn't just gonna blow off the team for something small, and that's what really got me; you guys questioning my dedication."

"Okay," Chad replied. "That's a fair point; maybe we should've let you explain what was going on with you but gotta to admit, from where we were standing you were ditching something important for something you had all the time in the world to do." Chad said, offering his perspective.

"Well, it wasn't like that."

"Then what was going on. We wont understand if you don't tell us."

Troy sighed, his cheeks puffing out as he did so. His cheeks were already flooded with red at the mere notion of disclosing his embarrassing encounter with anyone. "First off, I couldn't speak to Gabi at another time cuz I got grounded last night, so the only time I can see her is in school."

With an understanding tone, Chad said, "_Oh," _emphasising his comment with a slow nod. "What d'ya get grounded for?" he asked casually. For Chad, news of Troy getting grounded wasn't as uncommon, and therefore, outrageous as Gabriella's grounding was for Taylor. Often, growing up, he and Troy would get grounded for one of their mischievous wrong-doings. It had even gotten to the stage when they would compete to see who could get grounded for longest.

"Uhh…" Troy cleared his throat, looking down momentarily at his trainers, as though trying to find a blemish that would divert the course of the conversation. "Gabi's mom kinda walked in on us last night. Well, technically it was this morning…ahh...whatever."

"You serious!?" Chad howled, his eyes already watering with the laughter that had been induced by the comedic imagery he had created in his mind. "Dude, you gave your practical mother-in-law a live porno! That's so damn wrong."

"Really?" Troy asked sarcastically. "Cuz there I was thinking it would just bring all of us closer together." Forcefully, he chucked the basketball at Chad but Chad's reflexes being as fast as they were, he simply caught it in one hand, and threw it over his head; his laughter remaining constant.

"What, were you guys, like, fully going at it?"

"No, thank God," Troy responded without hesitation. "But Gabi was kinda starting to…you know…get me off. I'm just thankful that Mrs. M didn't see my…you know. I think had we been naked when she'd come in and she'd seen me with a full-on stiffy and shit…I don't think I could've ever looked at her again."

"I remember that time we were all out in Gabi's yard and the two of you started making out and her mom came to ask us if we wanted food or something and she saw the two of you and the house was kinda awkward, remember?" Troy nodded. "I can't think what it'll be like now," Chad shook his head, still chuckling occasionally at the thought.

"I don't know, but I kinda hope I don't see her for a while. She was so pissed yesterday, dude… but then she drove me home to make sure I was safe and, to be honest, I couldn't figure out if she was more mad about me having snuck in or the fact me and Brie are sleeping together, ya know? It was weird," he mused.

"I think you guys'll be cool," Chad consoled. "I mean, if Gabriella was my kid and I walked in on you guys, I'd have bounced your ass out so fast you'd be sitting on cushions for the next week for the bruising." Troy chuckled and nodded in agreement, knowing that, he, too, would have done that exact thing had he been in Maria's position.

The pairs spoke for a while until the air had fully cleared. They joked around and caught up on school events and before long the memory of that morning had fully evaporated. When a light chatter was heard approaching the gym, Troy and Chad knew they were being joined by their fellow team-mates.

Troy turned to Chad, slowly, and said, "Dude…we're cool now, right?"

"Yeah, bro, we're cool," Chad echoed, bouncing his precious ball over to Troy to cement his words.

******

It had been a week and a half since that fateful evening; Gabriella was eagerly anticipating her release while Troy's grounding, in comparison, was still indefinitely raging on. Troy was rushing around the school in a flurry, barging into people and shouting random apologies. He made a beeline for the staff room, only to have his attempt blocked my Mr. Mathis, the physics teacher, a large, burly man; he was of a tall height, perhaps 5, 11", and had a large gut that could thwart even the biggest students. He peered down at Troy as though he were an insignificant creature.

"You know full well, Bolton, that students are not allowed in here," he said, the coarse hair that warmed his upper lip twitching with each word.

"I know, sir, I know, but I need my dad."

"Is it a family emergency?"

Troy hesitated, "Uhh…" before deciding that a tiny white lie was needed in this circumstance; "Yeah. Yes, it is." The words left his mouth and he had no regret. When he really thought about it, he did consider Gabriella family and he knew his parents did, too. What anybody else outside of their family thought really didn't matter to him.

"I'll call him for you."

"Thank you." Troy waited impatiently for his father to appear, tapping his foot and repeatedly checking his watch -- before realising he'd left it at home and taking out his phone to check the time instead. Finally he appeared, and Troy darted in front of him. "I need a huge, huge favour and I know I'm in trouble but this technically isn't even for me."

Jack was silent for a second as he unscrambled the flurry of words spoken by his son. He stuffed the remainders of his tuna fish sandwich into his mouth, his teeth grinding down until only mush was left, swallowed, licked his lips and then said, "What favour, first off."

"Gabi says that she's been getting some funny looks from a few jerks on the football team when she's been riding the bus home. The guys she's named are all guys that I've had issues with in the past," he explained, "and I don't want them to try anything with her to get back at me. So, could you drop her home for me. Please?"

"Troy--"

"Dad, I know you think it's farfetched but you don't know these guys, 'kay? They're sick, twisted people. If anything happens to her then…" he trailed off, his head hanging low, already consumed by the guilt of the hypothetical situation.

Jack stared at him. His lips were mashed together in a firm line, his eyes contemplatory as he looked down at his son that was staring back up at him; his eyes curious at the expression on his father's face. "I cant leave school right now. I'm giving you permission to take Gabriella home, Troy," An elated smile illuminated Troy's face, but Jack halted his eager steps, continuing, "I want you back here in forty-five minutes; you take her home, see that she's indoors safely and turn right back around."

Troy nodded like a puppy dog.

With a warning tone, Jack said, "You take a minute longer than--"

"Got it, dad!" And with that he was gone.

He raced up to Gabriella, practically yanking her delicate arm out of its socket, eliciting a yelp, when he grabbed hold of her. "I can't explain now, just come on!"

"Troy stop!" Gabriella demanded, forcefully pulling her arm free. "I'm not letting you get in more trouble because of me. I'll be fine on the bus," she insisted.

"Gabriella," Troy said breathlessly as he held his truck door open. "I'm not going to get in trouble unless you keep refusing to get in the truck. My dad's given me permission to get you home on the condition that I have to be back within forty five minutes -- a time that is lessening every moment we spend here. So, please just get it," he pleaded. "Otherwise my dad's gonna keep me locked up even longer than I'd care to imagine and I'll be an old man before you ever get to properly kiss me again and by that time," he continued to ramble, "You probably wont even find me sexy any more and I'd hate that, Gabi, really I would cuz--"

"I'm getting in the car, already," Gabriella conceded with her palms raised in defeat and her eyes wide. She mumbled, "Sheesh," as she climbed into his truck, chiding his insecure ramblings.

Although Gabriella enjoyed having those few moments with Troy, she would have definitely preferred the ride had he not be consumed by neurotic energy. Each time he stopped at a light, he would curse the 'moron' that put so many lights in one street; and whenever he gave somebody - driver or pedestrian - right of way, he expressed his hatred of the 'idiotic' road laws.

Eventually, he pulled into her drive. He didn't even cut the engine as she unclipped her seatbelt. All the while he had one eye fixed on her - the other focusing on the minutes ticking down on the clock of his dashboard.

"I'll wait here till you get inside," Troy said, wrapping his right arm around Gabriella's waist as she hugged him tightly, squeezing the majority of his breath from his body. When she pulled away slightly - not wanting to break physical contact until it was absolutely necessary - he pushed his lips desperately against hers. "I love you," he said quietly, seeming relaxed for the first time during that entire journey.

"I love you, too, baby," she replied. Not feeling satisfied with just one parting kiss, Gabriella leaned forward again, pressing her lips to his repeatedly; each time either tried to pull away, the other would request 'just one more.'

"Gabi," kiss. "I really," kiss. "I need to go." Kiss.

"Okay, okay, I'm going." She practically leapt out of the truck, resisting the temptation of dragging him inside the house. She trotted to her door, her eyes over her shoulder all the way; waving and blowing kisses at Troy. She slipped her key from her purse, pushed it into the lock and then stopped.

Much to Troy's confusion, she began a brisk walk to his truck.

She manoeuvred her body around to his side of the truck, poking her head slightly through his open window. "For the record, Wildcat," she said, shyly, chewing on her bottom lip in a way that drove Troy crazy, and made him squeeze his legs very tightly together. "You could be 65, wrinkly, and bald, and… I'd still find you sexy. Whenever your parents unground you, I'll be here waiting." With a chaste kiss to his lips, she departed, not looking back, this time, as she entered her home.

Troy remained in his stationary truck for a few minutes with a blissful smile on his face. As unwavering as his love for Gabriella was and as much as he had no doubt that hers was, also, it was incredibly heart-warming to hear a statement like that.

Those little things_…that_ was true love_._


	16. Seventeen: Have Faith

**Please, please, please forgive me. Even I'm astounded by how long it has been since I last updated (I'm sure some of you believed I'd stopped writing all together), but, finally, I have a new chapter for you guys. With school, dance and drama (which I recently won a 1st place shield for at a drama festival *bows* - feel free to send flowers) I've had hardly any spare time these last few months. I will try my best not to leave it this long between the this and the next chapter but, again, apologies if that's the case.  
Enjoy and please review, after not writing constantly for a little while a lot of feedback would be appreciated xx**

******Disclaimer: Only the ideas are mine: all else is credited to HSM creators.**

******Rated M for strong language and sexual scenes. **

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The scent of the freshly ground coffee beans had never smelt so inviting to Maria, who had stayed awake until three that morning, giving a final check to a work project. The aroma danced upwards from the mug, exciting her taste buds. Her hands quivered with the anticipation and her mouth began to water. Her eyelids, coated with tinted moisturiser to hide the panda-like rings, fluttered as the ceramic mug pressed against her eagerly parted lips. Tipping her hands ever so slightly, the hot liquid slipped over the rim. She rejoiced inwardly when the bitter liquid coated her bottom lip, but her pleasure was short lived when a sharp ring came from the doorbell, piercing her reverie. She remained with the porcelain mug pressed to her lips for a few extra moments, contemplating the rudeness that would be shown if she decided to leave the visitor waiting until she had consumed every drop of her coffee and was in a state fit to converse. After much oscillation, she sighed and set the mug down; trudging from the kitchen, along the passage way, and to the front door.

Her body, to any that could have seen her at that moment, moved in slow motion; but to Maria, that was still too fast. Her fingers coiled about the chrome handle, heaving the heavy, black door open. She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed the morning air to bathe her as it passed through the doorway. The many scents combined well; the sweet aromas from her cherished garden, along with the fresh summer's breeze sufficing to invigorate her. She then became aware of the nervous breathing before her, and remembering what had originally bought her to the door, opened just one eye inquisitively.

There stood Troy, dressed in a pair of navy cargo pants with a t-shirt of the same colour but a lighter hue. One hand was stuffed in his pocket; the other mussing his hair agitatedly as the colour spread rapidly up his neck and through his cheeks. Both of her eyes now fully open, she quirked an eyebrow at the boy who was yet to make any kind of coherent sentence; each of his attempts thus far amounting to anything other than, 'umms' and 'uhhs'.

"Your father know you're here?" she questioned. She suspected he would answer in the affirmative but asked anyway; she feared they would have been there for some time had she not asked a question.

"Yes." Troy answered bluntly, cringing at his seemingly numb tongue. "I was freed," he said, slowly building into some sort of rhythm. "Last night…I…uhh…dad ungrounded me for umm…" He paused, squinting up into the whispy clouds as his head titled upwards; his memory was currently failing him but he was determined to complete his statement. "Good behaviour!" he said triumphantly. "Yeah, that was it, for proving I could be 'trusted' and handle consequences with 'maturity.'" With pride he made air quotations, but then his face fell and the embarrassment previously worn settled back onto his tanned face. It was as though the reason behind his grounding had temporarily escaped him; only when the words had been spoken did he remember that perhaps his buoyancy was somewhat inappropriate.

"Come in, Troy," Maria said, widening the door and her head flopped to her left, not having the energy to merely tip it, she allowed it lull onto her shoulder, directing Troy inwards.

Upon entering the kitchen once more, Maria immediately grasped her neglected mug. As though a drug had been pumped directly into her blood-stream, she regained life; it was no longer a task to raise her eyelids in a simple blink and the need to collapse in a heap onto the nearest bed neglected her. As she sipped at the narcotic, she observed Troy with humour.

The boy usually so confident and outgoing had now been reduced a shy teen. He looked about him with uncertainty as if the surroundings were alien to him and the colour drained from his face, his nerves at the height they were.

"I suppose you came for Gabriella. She's still in the shower," she informed, adding, more to herself than to Troy, "I'm shocked she wasn't sitting here waiting for you." Maria assumed Troy had already made Gabriella aware of his freedom.

"Actually, I only found out last night that my grounding was over - Gabriella doesn't know yet," Troy countered. He wet his lips with tongue and tapped his foot anxiously. "Umm…to be honest…it kind of…" he stopped and falteringly let his eyes dart around the room before he finally summoned the gall to have his meet Maria's. It took more of him than he had expected, that small gesture. Each time he looked in her eyes, that dreadful evening would replay itself with frightening clarity and insecurities of how Maria now viewed him loudly plagued his mind; the demon voices in his head causing him to doubt his worth for her daughter. "I was hoping to speak to you, so it's kind of perfect that Gabi isn't ready, yet."

Maria understood the difficulty of his task, and respected him for having the maturity to approach her as he had done. "Go ahead."

"I wanted to apologize for…well, you know." It wasn't the most eloquent of starts, but it was something. "The way things panned out, we never wanted that to happen. I understand how angry you must be cuz…you've always…trusted us, ya know, and…I don't know, we didn't respect that. Is any of this making sense?" Troy suddenly asked, seeking reassurance that he wasn't making a fool of himself. Maria chuckled a little and nodded her head; he resumed. He continued to express his honest regret for some time, not drawing to an end until he was confident - until each fibre of his been assured him - that all he had wanted to say had been said - whether Maria accepted his apology was, although that was his desired result, beyond his control, but he would be contented in the knowledge that he had tried.

"So, okay," he began in the closing sentence of his speech. "The whole sneaking out in the middle of the night, through your backyard and climbing into Gabriella's room? Not my finest moment in terms of displaying great judgement, but, we've always been close, me and you, and I just don't want anything to mess that up." With that he ended, gazing pleadingly towards Maria.

Maria saw Troy, that morning - truly saw him. He was no longer the little baby she once cradled in her arms; the toddler that she used to perch on her knee or the mischievous little boy that would hide under her table when he thought he was in trouble; and nor was he that young teenage boy that she had watched grow into his own person and discover who he was.

He was a man.

It would have taken a real young man to stand before her as he had done, acknowledging his mistakes and asking for the forgiveness that he so desired without any trace of arrogance or an obligatory tone. That morning, Maria felt a shift in her heart and - figuratively - she released Gabriella into Troy's arms. Although she wouldn't have described herself as having any anxieties about their relationship, of course, she was ever-present with that watchful, maternal eye, in the - however unlikely - event that Troy slipped up and crushed her daughter's heart. But a calmness swept over her in that moment that assured her that all forms of worry were now unnecessary; that her daughter was a good hands, in the care of a man that would cross the world to make her happy.

Simply, with a contented smile on her face, she walked over to Troy, and placed a slim hand on his broad shoulder. Intently she gazed into his uncertain eyes, their fierce colouring a little duller than the electric blue she was used to.

"Troy," she said calmly. "I'm trusting you, now, don't let me down." She patted his shoulder and felt the muscle relax under her warm touch and then spun on her heels towards the fridge.

Troy remained still as Maria hummed whistfully, the sound a little muted as her head was stuck deep within the refrigerator. His eyebrows furrowed with the confusion he felt, having prepared himself to do a lot more grovelling than he had done.

"Troy," he suddenly heard, extracting him from his reverie.

"Huh?" he said, his head inclined forward and his brows raised.

"Juice. Do you want some juice?" Maria questioned for the second time.

"Uhh…juice…that'd be great, thanks." He dipped his head in a deliberate nod, in Maria's direction, but it wasn't in agreement to the juice as expected, instead in was an understanding nod; he realised that the slate had been wiped clean between them - not that the incident had been forgotten, but that it wasn't going to be forever held against him and in return…he had Gabriella's heart.

A little while later as Maria continued to make small talk with Troy - 'continued' being the operative word as mainly monosyllabic words came from Troy, as he was unable to shake the awkwardness he felt with as much ease as Maria - a tentative pitter-patter came from the hallway.

After leisurely exiting the shower - perhaps the only decent thing about being on a Troy ban was the extended shower time in the mornings that Gabriella was now able to have, seeing as Troy no longer arrived some minutes prior to them having to leave the house, to enjoy a passionate make out session - Gabriella had headed to her room to begin getting dressed.

Satisfied twenty minutes later, dressed in a puff-sleeved white blouse - the top three buttons of which she had left open to show her burnt orange tank, underneath - and three quarter length denims, she slipped on a pair of simple sandals, that she had deemed trendy, yet school-appropriate, and began a light-footed trot down her stairs. That is when the sound of a sexy rumbling found her on the steps, and set a fire bubbling deep within her stomach, yet she dared allowed her hopes to rise and struggled with them all the way down the remaining steps, keeping a firm hold on them until her head tentatively craned forward and through the kitchen doorway and…

"Troy!" she squealed, bounding towards him and almost knocking him flat as she flung her arms around his neck in a way that would cause a stranger to believe the two were lovers separated by tragedy, only to be reunited after months apart. "How come…? When…? I…" She was literally tongue-tied, her brain in a scramble as she attempted to register the moment; Troy's firm but loving grip, his citrus, yet spiced scent. She pulled away from him, though keeping her arms loosely wrapped about his neck, and soaked in the sight of him; his soft cheeks lightly dusted with stubble that was evident of his steady ascent into manhood; his wide-tooth smile that continued to make her knees buckle beneath her; and that glint in his azure orbs that gripped her so tightly. Again, now certain that the gorgeous boy before her was more than the workings of her - sometimes overactive - imagination, she locked her arms around his neck, feeling just a little emotional when his cool lips pressed against her neck, reassuringly.

Maria by this stage had busied herself by the sink, rinsing the odd mug and various other cooking utensils, making a point to give the two even a morsel of privacy as they spoke in hushed voices and exchanged quick pecks - which she knew would undoubtedly get more heated once out of her presence.

"I still cant believe you're not grounded any more," Gabriella exclaimed, her eyes continually expanding with wonder and disbelief. "I thought I'd like never see you again outside of school." She flipped her head towards her mother who was still by the sink but was now facing them, engaged with the conversation, to see whether her astonishment was being shared by the older woman - who nodded in agreement.

The three sat together for a further fifteen minutes, casually talking about the events of the past few weeks; Troy and Gabriella sharing jokes that their previous meetings had been too rushed to allow. With Gabriella beside him, their fingers forever entwined, Troy no longer felt his palms quivering under the eyes of Ms. Montez and so was contented in the knowledge that the air between them had truly been sanitised.

Looking at her sleek silver watch, Maria rose elegantly from her bar stool, smoothing out the odd creases that had appeared in her grey pencil skirt. "Well, I guess I better go, I cant be late." As she spoke, she pulled her blazer off the back of the stool and shrugged it on over her ruffled navy blouse and flicked her hair over her shoulder. "I suppose the two of you are going to head out as well?" she asked casually, but simultaneously giving each of them a pointed look - which Troy was a little late to grasp.

"Uhh," he pulled his slim black phone from the back pocket of his jeans and hit a key that would return him to the home screen. The screen illuminated and surrounded by a dozen icons, appeared the time in bold black: **08:10**. Troy and Gabriella, once again falling into their old routine, wouldn't be a school for another twenty-five minutes (leaving themselves a ten minute margin for saying goodbye - parking lot kisses - and heading across the lot to Ms. Darbus' homeroom) and as the journey wouldn't take any longer than fifteen minutes, there was no need for them to leave out so early - a point that Troy didn't hesitate pointing out. "No, actually, we've still got a little bit of time before -"

Before her boyfriend was able to bury himself deep into the hole that he'd just scrambled out of, Gabriella squeezed his hand as tightly as she could - though the size difference between the couples' hands was such that she doubted even her most fervent effort had much effect on him; so for good measure jabbed her finger nails into his hand while she rolled her eyes at his incessant rambling. Noticeably, he flinched and confusion crossed his face and from the corner of his eye made an effort to meet Gabriella's eyes.

To have met his gaze with an unsubtle indication, Gabriella had decided, would have been too obvious by far, and set her head forward, not daring to turn it even a bit, and waited until he got the message.

It was long before Troy grasped the desired meaning behind Maria's highly-arched brow and continued - with the much more intelligent response of - "Though, thinking of it," he felt Gabriella's grip on his hand loosen considerably and knew he was now on the correct path. "I have some things to sort out with Chad - basketball and stuff - so maybe we should make an early start."

Gabriella smirked as her mother nodded with a smile and suggested, "Well why don't we all head out together?"

"Sure," Gabriella replied. "Let me just grab my bag." Untangling herself from Troy, she shuffled over to the door. She hesitated a little at the frame, her hand perched on the wood of the door frame. She spun on her heels, walked back briskly to the stationary basketball player who had stolen her heart and threw her arms around him one final time, expressing the joy she felt at once again at having him back in her life without the restrictions the past few weeks had burdened them with.

******

The drive to school that morning was by far the most cumbersome and torturous journey Troy had made in the rusted truck. Each time he reached for the gear stick, he had first to slither his arm free of Gabriella's clinch; and whenever he chanced a look in her direction, an intense stare met him or slender fingers would dance across his knee; casually, at first, but gradually edging higher before resting precariously against his inner thigh. He stole every available moment, closed his eyes and drew in deep breaths - although the fact the air was tainted with her soft scent didn't help - and fought the overwhelming urge (as near submission as he was, it was by no means a task easy to accomplish) to find a deserted street, pull over and have his wicked way with the brunette in his passengers seat that was, perhaps even unknowingly, driving him into an incoherent state.

******

"Oh thank the Lord!" Chad exclaimed as he squinted into the distance to make out his best friend approaching, his arm slung proudly around his girlfriend's shoulder with a goofy grin on his face. Nudging Jason in his arm, Chad tipped his head upwards slightly, indicating towards the couple. "Check it out, looks like Hoops is outta lock-down."

"Sweet!" Jason replied enthusiastically, bumping Chad's fist.

It wasn't long before the group - Chad, Jason, Taylor and Zeke - had been joined by the couple, who, for just one moment, ceased their doting on one another to greet their friends. As Gabriella hugged Taylor and confirmed her friend's questions on Troy being 'freed', Gabriella heard a muffled snigger from behind her, and turned to see Chad, Jason and Zeke tittering into their large palms, and Troy whacking Jason with the back of his left hand as they did so.

"What's so funny?" Taylor asked, her curiosity aroused. The fact that she had expressed even the slightest interest in what had amused the boys was testament to just how close the group had become. Back in the early days of their friendship, Taylor's immediate thought would have been that anything that amused Jocks (bar Troy) would, to her, only seem juvenile and worthless. As time had progressed, however, she had learnt to overlook the stereotype of the brainless, immature Jock, realising that - contrary to popular belief - there brains were often in places other than their biceps, and that they were capable of holding intelligent conversations, and making witty - non-crude - jokes…when they weren't being total guys, of course.

"Ahh, we're just screwing with Hoops, over here," Chad laughed, ignoring Troy's obvious death glare.

"About?" Gabriella asked coyly, edging closer to Troy and then linking her arms around his waist. "Troy?" she raised her brow at her boyfriend, whose tanned skin was slowly pervaded by a scarlet tinge.

"It's nothing, they're just being dicks, that's all." He clamped his lips firmly but realised that it was too late, the words had already slipped out, and there was now no turning back. He turned his gaze to Chad, whose eyes sparkled with a devious glint, and sighed, resigning himself to his fate.

"Since it's so stupid, dude, you wont mind us telling, right?" Chad goaded. He then turned to Gabriella; "We were just saying how we're glad that Bolton isn't grounded anymore, cuz now he can stop whining like a little girl everyday about he misses you, just wishes he could call you, walk you home, study with you. In short, he's been a real drag these last few weeks."

As, in vain, Taylor attempted to hide her giggles, Zeke and Jason nodded solemnly in agreement with Chad.

"Aww, that's so sweet," Gabriella cooed, raising her left palm to stroke Troy's heated cheek. "You missed me that much?" she asked, her gaze imploring, her voice sugary-sweet.

"Well…yeah," Troy answered bashfully, finding it wholly impossible to speak anything other than the truth while her eyes bore into him as they did. "I miss those little things," he admitted. "It wasn't the same only getting to talk to you in school and stuff," he shrugged.

"You're so adorable, you know?" Gabriella sighed, forgetting that her comments could be over heard at that moment; all else besides Troy's loving orbs having faded away some time before.

Troy, too, had been lost in Gabriella's embrace. He, however, had been quickly jolted from their private plateau by the sounds of emasculating sniggers. "There are those words again," he huffed, "'Cute', 'adorable'…" he listed, with overly dramatic air quotations. (To compensate having removed his arms from Gabriella's waist, he had shuffled his body closer to her's; the fronts of their bodies squashed together in a way that was nearing inappropriate in a public forum). "I'm almost e_ighteen_, babe, those words haven't been appropriate for me for some time, now."

Gabriella scrunched her nose guiltily, seeing how injured Troy's masculinity had clearly been by her comment. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck, batted her eyelashes, and summoned from somewhere deep within her (as she was still getting the hand of the power she could have over Troy on a sexual level) a sultry femme fatal. With her lips brushing his ear with each uttered syllable, she whispered, "Girl's go for the cute guys for a reason, Troy." Troy gulped, and she detected the slightest hitch in his breathing. "They wanna prove themselves in bed…"

She chose deliberately not to expand her comment, instead leaving the somewhat ambiguous idea to linger in Troy's mind, before coming to whichever conclusion he desired. She brushed a kiss against his ear, and lowered herself off of her tip-toes, their eyes remaining locked.

"Okay!" Chad shouted. "Time to leave these guys alone before I totally hurl," he said, as he slung his bag over his shoulder and made to leave; Jason affirming his comment with gagging noises as they departed.

Troy and Gabriella, however, didn't note the absence when they finally pulled themselves apart to head to class…they had thought themselves alone long before.

******

Later that day at lunch, the group occupied themselves with somewhat mindless chatter; mainly grumbling about particular teachers or classes, or the fact that they hated having to pair up for projects with random students that they had never spoken to.

As they chattered, Sharpay strutted in with an air of Hollywood royalty, carefully placing her bag down on a spot beneath the table that she had hired a Freshman drama student to sweep each day before lunch, making sure that her precious bags remained spotless. For the most part, Sharpay was immune to the feeling of guilt, and so felt not a trace of being immoral when she hired the young fourteen year old boy (whose romantic notions of one day capturing Sharpay's heart rendered him incapable of saying no to the blonde) to trot about school before her, ascertaining that everything met the 'Sharpay scale of Fabulous'.

"I don't know how you guys can eat that stuff," she said with a disgusted grimace as she observed the boys chomping into their Sloppy Joe's. "God knows what's in that," she remarked as she daintily dipped her Tuna Sashimi into a small ceramic Soy sauce pot. "This has like Zero calories and will keep me going for hours. I bet you guys will be hungry before school's out."

"Evans," Jason called across the table, making a point not to respond to her smug comments about their food choices. "Where's Zeke?"

"In the kitchen - as usual," she replied, before supplementing, "he has a cookie recipe he says he's trying to perfect for me." Although Sharpay and Zeke had seen turbulent times in the past, his determination to present a dessert (whether it be a croissant, cookie, or danish) that wowed her never failed to excite Sharpay, and connect to the part of her heart that still swooned for him. This time, however, as she mentioned Zeke's goal she had to, instead, refrain from rolling her eyes at his predictability. That is how she knew that this time was different.

"God, Zeke's just so whipped," Chad muttered disapprovingly, shaking his head.

"You're so full of it, Danforth!" Sharpay snapped.

Taken aback, Chad's head flicked up. "Wake up on the cold side of the bed? What the hell's wrong with you?" he questioned.

"'Cold side of the bed,' good one, Chad," Jason chuckled, but was met with no reply.

"Nothing," Sharpay said sharply, her dormant protective instinct for Zeke awaked, "is wrong with me. I'm just tired of hearing you rip on Zeke so often. No matter if he spends tonnes of his time baking 'like a girl,'" she quoted. "He's shown more balls than you have. When Zeke liked me, he came and flat-out asked me on a date."

"And that has what to do with me?" a bemused Chad asked, struggling to see how he and Zeke's dating techniques were comparable - or incomparable as it appeared Sharpay was saying.

By this point, all at the table, Troy, Gabriella, Taylor and Jason, had frozen, setting down their drinks, cutlery or whatever they happened to be holding, intrigued to see the outcome of the exchange.

"Nothing! That's exactly what I'm saying: Zeke had the guts to ask me out not knowing whether or not I was going to say yes. You on the other hand, have liked Taylor all this time," she flung her bony arm to her right where Taylor was seated, currently dumfounded, "but have just been secretly fawning over her rather than doing anything about it! So take a leaf out his Zeke's book, why don't you." Having said her piece, Sharpay grabbed her bag, snatched her tray from the table and flounced towards the stairs that led to the balcony of the cafeteria where the rest of the drama club sat; her heels clicking decisively on her way up, her hips sashaying.

Those remaining on the table each averted their eyes from one another; the tips of Chad's ears were now a cute rosy pink and Taylor had frozen, her eyes expanded without showing any premise of returning to their normal size.

"Well that was…" Jason began, but then trailed off, unable to find words appropriate to define the shock of the moment.

Not being at all subtle in wanting to vacate the tension-laden table, Troy abruptly said to Gabriella, "Babe. Science? Ready?"

"Let's go."

"Hold up," Jason requested, using his index finger to stuff the remaining bun into his mouth inelegantly. "I'm coming."

They each shuffled from the table, not turning to bid goodbye to either Chad or Taylor; Gabriella pretending not to her name repeatedly whispered in a sharp hiss by Taylor.

…And then there were two.

"About what Sharpay said…" Chad said hesitantly some time after, staring down at his tray rather that at Taylor.

"I've been thinking about that, recently," Taylor supplied bravely. "Trying to figure out whether I was really seeing what I thought, or whether it was merely my imagination working over-time,"

"Well…uhh…you were really seeing it," he confirmed. His spirits excited by her comment, Chad asked tentatively, "So…do you think maybe…if you've been thinking about it…do you feel the same?" He spoke, running his fingers through his curls; the bouncing tendrils getting tangle about his long fingers occasionally, and falling messily over his uncertain eyes.

******

"_So_…" Gabriella chirruped as she skipped towards Taylor later that afternoon. "How did it go? What did he say?"

"Gabriella," Taylor tried to interrupt.

"This is so exciting! It means we can double and--"

"Gabriella!" Taylor called again.

Had Gabriella approached Taylor more calmly than she had, she would have probably noticed sooner that Taylor was considerably more sedate than she was. She had noticed now, however, by the sharpness of Taylor voice. She calmed herself and furrowed her brows a little. "What?"

"Chad and me wont be doubling you and Troy." Taylor simply stated, shrugging her shoulders and resting against her locker.

"Why not? What happened?" Gabriella was once again becoming more animated. "If you're about to tell me that after what Sharpay said Chad Danforth tried to pretend that it meant nothing then I swear I'll go shake the life--"

"Gabriella!" This time Taylor clamped her hands around Gabriella's shoulders, squeezing tightly, as she lightly shook her friend. "Chad _did_ ask me out…I just didn't say yes." Her eyes, ashamedly, averted from Gabriella's, dropping to the floor.

"_Why_?"

"Because…because… I told him that these next few months would be crucial and could potentially define my entire future and I didn't want to get distracted by a guy."

"You told him he'd be a distraction? Taylor I know that you like him. What gives?" Gabriella, after all of the conversations that had been had between her and Taylor, discussing the potential for Chad and Taylor was utterly confused at the decision that had been taken by her friend and so knew that something far deeper was behind it.

"You're not meant to date friends for a reason. Chad and I have just gotten to the point where we can have a good conversation without it escalating into an argument and I don't wanna lose that. It'd probably be a huge disaster; we'd break up and it'd start to divide the group cuz you'd all take sides - because the break-up would undoubtedly be messy - and it just isn't worth it. Its much better this way, think," she nodded her head gently, clearly attempting to reassure herself rather than explaining her thought train to Gabriella.

"First off, Troy and me are best friends and everything's still great between us. Secondly, who says the two of you wouldn't last -- and even if you don't it wont necessarily come to some disastrous end," Gabriella tried to reason, speaking earnestly to her friend in to hope of making her see the other side of the argument. "Remember those few weeks between me and Troy before the dance? Everything was totally awkward and uncomfortable cuz we were both harbouring these emotions. Tay, it's better to have a go than to sit on it, let it fester away and ultimately ruin the friendship anyway."

"You and Troy were different," Taylor said sadly. "The second your hormones kicked in, you opened your front door, literally, and there was Troy waiting for you - the first guy you _really_ saw. In fact, my theory's that Troy was there and your hormones were activated just so you could see him. Unlike you, there were other guys that I saw in that way before Chad, and I cant just ignore the fact that we _are _friends…no matter what I feel for him."

******

When Troy had dropped a pensive Gabriella home that afternoon, they had been greeted by Maria who had informed them the she and Gabriella would be joining the Bolton's for dinner. Of course this met zero resistance from the couple to could quite happily spend every waking moment together, and so they replied with only enthusiasm.

At approximately eight o'clock that evening, Maria, who knew by experience that the Bolton's door wouldn't be locked, pushed gently against the wooden door, that swung forward just how she had expected it would.

"We're here!" she called, as she slipped her cardigan off, revealing a black blouse beneath, paired with simple denims. She smiled at the familiar sound of clattering of pots and utensils from the kitchen and Troy bounding down the stairs like a giddy child on Christmas. "Evening, Troy," she greeted in reply as young man hugged her and kissed her cheek. She chuckled when Troy lifted Gabriella's petite body from the floor slightly and hugged her tightly. She informed them that she was going to head through to the kitchen to greet Jack and Lucille but she doubted that her words were heard between the mushy greetings.

******

Upon inquiry, Troy and Gabriella had been told that dinner was not expected to be ready for at least three quarters of an hour - Lucille having encountered several problems with her attempted Fish Curry recipe - and so they were free to busy themselves until then. It being a warm evening, they had opted to relax on the swing-bench in the back garden; their arms entwined, their lips often meeting.

"How was practice?" Gabriella asked, her head snuggled into Troy's chest.

"Terrible!" Troy grounded, as he ground his feet further into the ground in order to optimize their grip and swing the bench further. "Chad wasn't on point so we had to keep running the plays over and over. What happened with Taylor really hit him hard. I feel bad, y'know, cuz we encouraged him to ask her out and he wasn't really sure cuz he thought he wasn't good enough. Now it's like she's confirmed what he thought of himself and that totally isn't true." He ceased the moment of his legs, hence stopping the swinging of the bench, and sat back, pulling Gabriella tighter into him. "Cant you talk to her?" Troy asked, hating seeing his friend in such dejected spirits.

"I did," Gabriella replied, running her hand over her chest. "But she wont budge."

"Maybe I should…"

"No," Gabriella firmly said. "You don't know Taylor like I do: the way it stands now, there's like a 5 per cent chance that she could change her mind, but if she feels she's being pressured then Chad wont stand a chance; it's best to just leave her."

"Girls are too complex," Troy pouted.

"We have to balance you guys out, that's why," Gabriella teased. "If we were just as simple as you guys then all we'd do in relationships would be have sex and eat."

"Yeah…" Troy shrugged. "And what's wrong with that?" He then doubled over, his hands grasping his side, with a sharp high wheez coming from him, his comment having earned him a sharp jab under his ribs from Gabriella.

Troy and Gabriela didn't speak much after that, preferring to just enjoy the tranquil atmosphere together. Troy had began to wonder whether Gabriella had fallen asleep on him; her body was remarkably still, her hand stationary on his abs. He pushed his lips against her head and smiled at the sight. Just then, however, she raised her head and gazed at him.

"This is nice, right?" she questioned rhetorically.

"Looks like they're planning something in there, don't ya think?" Troy said randomly, his eyes trained on their parents who were visible through the kitchen window. There backs were to them but Troy and Gabriella could see them huddled together almost conspiratorially and Troy didn't like the feeling of it. "I thought your Mom forgave me way to easily. But it makes sense," he said in a hushed whisper. "They're probably gonna say that they're sending me to military school tonight or something. Don't you think this is kind of odd?" he asked Gabriella who giggled.

"That my Mom and I are having dinner with your family? Uhh…no," she sniggered.

"Laugh all you want," he said, "but something's up…I can feel it," he said nodding his head definitely with his lips in a firm line.

Although Gabriella dismissed all of his 'nonsense' theories, Troy didn't shake the feeling that dinner was about something more than family bonding. Admittedly he did still feel slightly uneasy around Maria which could have contributed to his sense of being plotted against. He relaxed as they enjoyed dinner, however, letting go of his paranoia and just enjoying the company.

He and Gabriella had offered to clear the plates and on returning to the table, Troy had poured himself a glass of harsh sparkling water, when he heard the dreaded words from his mother:

"We wanted to talk to the two of you about something,"

He glanced at Gabriella from the corner of his eye, who was wearing an expression a mixture of surprise and embarrassment, having not believed him when he had speculated about the reason behind the dinner earlier in the night.

"Sure," he said, already feeling defensive and bored.

"What is it?" Gabriella asked, as Troy raised his glass to his parched lips.

"We want you to visit the family planning clinic," Lucille said bluntly. The sound of panicked splutters echoed around the room as Troy choked on his water in shock at the statement.

"What!?" Gabriella demanded, verbalizing Troy physical reaction as her calmed himself, his chokes having subsided into wheezes by this point.

"When we say family planning," Lucille explained, "that's more of an umbrella term; _as well as _family planning, they work in informing, young adults in particular," at that point she inclined her head towards them, "about sexual health."

Gabriella's eyes darted from her mother, to Lucille and to Jack. She searched their faces earnestly for any trace of humour, that would calm her, allow her to laugh and think it was a joke, but she found none. She felt queezy in the pit of her stomach. She was a relatively quiet, easily embarrassed girl; sex had been something she had always shied away from discussing -- with her own mother she had tried her utmost to avoid the subject, only talking openly when no other option had been available - and so having the matter opened in front of both of her boyfriends parents, whom she had regarded as family for her entire life…? She would have rather died.

"No way!" Troy said immediately.

"Who said you had a choice?" Jack asked, sitting forward, his back no longer resting against the chair.

An angered Troy refuted, "I'm not twelve years old anymore, you can't force me to go anywhere."

"Listen," Maria said firmly. She wasn't going to yell at Troy in this situation but she was out to make sure her point was heard. "All we want is to make sure the two of you are being safe."

"We _are_," Gabriella said, still blushing furiously from embarrassment but speaking up none the less. "Why wont you believe that?"

"Whatever you guys say," Troy interrupted before any of the parents could offer Gabriella an explanation. "I'm not going - _we_ are not going. I'm not gonna go sit in a room with some random Doctor and tell 'em our business. Whatever goes on with me and Gabi doesn't concern anybody else and it sure doesn't some…_stranger_!" Troy's tone was clearly outrage at what he perceived a blatant invasion of privacy.

"That's where you are _wrong_, Troy Bolton, because as _old_ and as _mature_ as you may feel right now, guess what? The two of you are Seventeen years old. Therefore, what you do _does_ concern us and we have decided that it _is _going to concern somebody else, also, whether you like it or not." Lucille wasn't the shouting type, but when her buttons had been pushed, those responsible would become aware. A steel formed in her eyes and a cold edge developed in her usually soft and welcoming voice. She didn't like to me overruled -- especially by her son.

Gabriella knew that she and Troy were fighting a losing battle and so stepped in to be the reasonable voice of the two (not that Troy was saying much as he'd chosen to throw himself to the back of his chair, his arms crossed against his chest, with a scowl on his face; sulking like a little boy). "Can we at least have some time to talk about this?" she asked quietly, holding as little eye contact as possible.

Lucille chest was still heaving, but she paused and nodded calmly. "Fair enough."

"Thanks." Gabriella rose, rolling her eyes as Troy pulled himself forcefully off the chair, dragging his feet as he stepped ahead of her and up into his room.

******

The flat ballet pumps that Taylor wore, made her entrance up the Danforth drive soundless. She walked slowly up the concrete path, giving herself much-needed encouragement with each hesitant step. She jumped when, one the final step that would bring her closer to the door, she security light illuminated her form, almost blinding her, and then rolled her eyes at her stupidity.

"Pull it together, Mckessie," she whispered to herself as she adjusted her bulky knit cardigan and tapped on the door. Her small foot patted against the ground impatiently until she finally saw Chad mother through the glass, who beamed at her with a genuine wave.

"Hi Mrs. Danforth," she greeted when the door opened.

The older woman embraced her lovingly and replied with the same enthusiasm. "It's so nice to see you, Taylor! How's Mom? I haven't seen her since she got back from her holiday -- I've got to call and catch up with her."

The two exchange pleasantries for a short while on the doorstep, before Taylor finally asked to speak to Chad. She was informed by his mother than the Chad had come home 'in some sort of mood' and hadn't been out of his room since, but with a little pleading, Susan Danforth agreed to lure, or at least have a firm attempt, the caveman from his bedroom.

Eventually a creek was heard and Taylor rotated on her heels, coming face-to-face with a tired-looking Chad. She could tell he had been asleep by the way his hair had matted down on one side - something that made a smirk appear on her lips -; his grey t-shirt was creased and in places had stuck to his chest, and the way he squinted slightly, adorably, trying to adjust his eyes to the unforgivable lighting.

"What're you doing here?" he said hoarsely, without any prior greeting.

"I would've thought it was pretty obvious," Taylor replied sharply, feeling rather offended at his adopted tone.

"Things go over my head, Mckessie," Chad said, making a point by calling her by her surname, something he had only done in past times when civil communication between them was practically non-existent. "I thought you knew that."

Taylor rolled her eyes and tutted at Chad's displayed immaturity. She shook her head and shifted onto the weight of her left foot, appearing to get ready to leave. "I didn't mean it like that, Chad," she pressed, knowing that his comment was a direct response to her saying that a relationship would 'get in the way' of her final months in school. "I didn't come here to be insulted. Right now, I'm hungry and my family would've started eating dinner about ten minutes ago, but I left and told them that I'd be late; putting _myself _out because I wanted to come talk to you. So, if you cant do the decent thing and at least listen to what I have to say then I'll see you at school tomorrow and…whatever." With a wave of her hand, she hopped down the single step and began her walk down the drive.

Chad wasn't usually the insecure type. In fact, his level of self-assurance often veered into the realm of arrogance - a trait his mother had often warned him about. However, like the average teenager, his nights were sometimes spent in a deep gloom of self-pity; contemplating his promise in life. Like most on his team, he dedicated every waking hour to his sport, making only the necessary grade to remain on the team - and there those few subjects where he excelled, and successfully achieved a grade higher than the minimum requirement, but by no body's standard was he a wizkid. Taylor's turning him down had hit him where it hurt the most; he wanted to crawl into a whole without emerging for weeks, but part of him felt a curiosity tingle down his spine, wanting to hear her out and so just before she slipped through his front gate he called:

"Hold on."

******

Troy had stormed up into his room, throwing himself onto his bed in a huff as though he were ready at any moment to start a tantrum. Upon entering behind her boyfriend, Gabriella had taken the decision to shut the door, feeling it pointless to observe the general 'door open' policy considering the topic they would be discussing.

"Can you believe them?" he said with an animated face, his words over-enunciated. "God, what makes them think they have the right to tell me where I have to go!? I mean -"

"Troy," Gabriella attempted to calm him but her small voice was unable to interrupt his tirade.

"When I was younger, sure, they'd say I'd have to go to the dentist 'n stuff but I'm gonna be freakin' 18 on my next birthday. If they think they can still control me then-"

"Babe,"

"They have no idea," he continued, ignoring her interruption completely. "They gonna call when we go to college, telling me to go get groceries? I don't think so-"

"Troy will you shut up for one damn minute?" Gabriella finally demanded, raising her voice slightly. She watched Troy slump sheepishly and turn his eyes up to her, prepared to listen. "I think we should go," she stated as she walked over and joined him, slipping her arm through his and taking his hand.

"You're kidding me," he replied incredulously, though still keeping himself in check.

"Just listen." She stroked her thumb against the back of his hand. "I don't want to do this any more than you do, trust me. I've never felt this humiliated before in. My. Life. But here's the deal: To be frank, we've just got ourselves out of some major shit. Like you said, had they wanted to send you away to military camp I would've totally understood where they were coming from - but they didn't. All they want us to do is go and sit a clinic for, like, forty minutes and answer some questions; I think we're getting off light, considering."

"So wait…" Troy said, knitting his brows. "You want us to go cuz they could've been much tougher on us and you don't wanna get'em pissed again?" he qualified.

"No…Yes. It's just…we need to prove ourselves to them," she reasoned. "Going to this place is going to show them that we _can _be mature and responsible and about this. It'll also reassure them that we are actually capable of handling a physical, adult relationship. We have to let them see they can trust us." As she spoke she nuzzled into his chest, an action that Troy cursed when he felt his resolve begin to slowly crumble. "Baby…?" she cooed.

He groaned. "If she asks us how many times a week we do it, I'm walking out," he said.

"And I'll be right behind you."

He glanced down at her doe-eyed expression and felt completely powerless. How could he refuse something that she had argued for so vehemently and with valid reasons? He sighed. "Fine," he grumbled.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Gabriella replied, "I love you," in a voice that could melt the heart of even the coldest man.

"Whatever," Troy mumbled, but pulled her into a hug nonetheless.

******

Taylor began immediately upon settling herself on of Mrs. Danforth's ornate garden stools that was nestled among multitude if exotic flowers that spiralled up the feet of the seat. There was something somewhat mischievous about the way the tall blades of grass tickled at her calves, Taylor felt, but she ignored it, keeping her focus. "Listen, what I said earlier…you took it the wrong way-"

"How was I meant to take it, exactly?" Chad snapped.

"Will you let me talk?" Taylor replied, rolling her eyes in frustration. "You took it the wrong way but…I can understand how you heard it the way you did," she admitted. "I should have been clearer…and given you a more honest response." Her head had ducked down, but when she spoke the final few words of her sentence, she glanced up at him shyly before dropping her gaze once again to her knees.

"What do you mean?" Chad's puzzled question came.

Taylor sighed and shrugged her shoulders. It wasn't that she didn't understand his question, more so that she wasn't quite sure how to order her thoughts enough for an intelligible response. "I told you," she began, "that I didn't want any distractions," - here Chad flinched at the word - "as the end of senior year was so close and my entire future is pretty much riding on the next few weeks. That was exactly…everything," she stated. She laced her fingers together, wringing her hands.

"Tay," Chad urged softly. With a gentle palm pressed against the small of her back he assured, "You can tell me. What is it?"

"I didn't want to risk our friendship," she admitted in a small voice. "We've started getting on really well, right, and…I was afraid that if we started going out, that maybe it wouldn't work…I'd lose you as a friend," she sighed.

"Tay, why would you think that? Look at Troy and Gabrie--"

"Yes," she sighed, rolling her eyes. "They've been together for ages, everyone's been telling me that - I'm well aware." She lowered her voice once more. "But we're not Troy and Gabriella, Chad," she said, looking at him sadly.

"Why?" Chad replied with a hint of defensiveness. "Cuz I'm not the golden boy of East High?"

"Quit acting so stupid, Chad. I like you, you know that. I couldn't even think of Troy in the way I think about you, okay? Troy and Gabriella…they were always going to end up together, right, but me and you, up until the last few months, the extent of our relationship has been getting at each other's throats every time we've been in the same vicinity. We aren't like that any more; I don't want to lose that."

Although Chad heard and understood Taylor's words, to accept them was just to big an ask. To listen to Taylor as she - despite all of her mono-syllabic words and intelligent reasoning - rejected him, had to have been the most gut-wrenching experience of his adolescence thus far - bar that one time when his missed shot cost the Wildcats the regional cup.

"Please, Taylor," Chad pleaded, with a vulnerability that surprised both Taylor and himself. "Don't be like this." He gazed at her, his brown puppy dog eyes deep and sorrowful, with his head cocked to the side.

With her hand perched on the cold metal lock that fastened the Danforth's back yard gate, Taylor simply shook her head. "Trust me, I don't want to be…but I have to." She departed without any more that an apologetic smile, feeling Chad's eyes burn into her as she walked.

******

With her knuckles white with the force she used to cling to Troy's bicep, Gabriella surveyed the stark white halls; her face pale in colour, her eyes wide. "I think I'm going to be sick…seriously, this is awful," she complained. It had dawned on her the moment they had entered that, making an appearance at a sexual health clinic (especially as two seventeen year olds) and giving a complete stranger rather intimate details of their relationship, was much easier in theory than it was in reality. Actually there, her nostrils flaring at the odour of cheap floor cleaner that was wooshed into the air each time the entrance door swung, her head was beginning to spin.

"Hey…you dragged me here - better not ditch me now," Troy grumbled in response. Although Troy had agreed to the excruciating humiliation - purely for Gabriella's own peace of mind - he made it known at every available opportunity that it was against his own will. Perhaps the only decent thing, he thought in consolation, was that the two were able to leave school early without the usual intrusive questioning from teacher's - his father having signed both of their permission slips that noted an evasive 'personal family matter' as the reason of absence.

As they waited, their eyes trailed over the brightly coloured posters that contrasted with the white walls. Meaning to be informative, each poster showed a young couple posing happily together, alongside an alarming statistic about teen pregnancies or STD's.

"You reckon they knew their picture would be used next to a 'isn't a condom better than a screaming baby' slogan?" Gabriella mused.

"Nah," Troy chuckled. "Probably thought it was a ad for happy teen relationships or something; a few hours on afternoon most likely, cash-in-hand, and before they knew it, they were on a huge billboard holding a fake foil wrapper with the word 'condom' printed across the front," he said, nodding his head over to the far corner where one such ad was stuck to the wall.

Was it necessary to have the word plastered across the front, though? If somebody really needs to be told what the foil packet is, they shouldn't be having sex at all," she said firmly. "Had they asked for a contract...some kind of paperwork..." she mused, more to herself than to Troy. She had been seriously looking into law over the past seven months. Consequently, she now bought even the most trivial discussions back to what was, 'within the eyes of the law' and legal loopholes.

"That's why I love you," Troy muttered, kissing her forehead as she looked up at him, perplexed. He met her confused questions - "huh?" "Troy, what do you mean," - with silence, merely enjoying the comfort that his girlfriend's ocassional naivety bought him.

When the large, television moniter beeped and flashed their names, panic shot through them once more, and their eyes jumped from their sockets.

"We dont have to go," Troy attempted. "We signed in on that computer by the door, right, so no one knows we're actually here," he said hopefully, but he knew - better than most - that determined look in Gabriella's eyes; she was a woman of her word, and, although she had regretted the promise she had made every second since the words had passed through her lips, she was going to see it through. "Fine," Troy grumbled, not needing her to respond. "Let's get this over with."

With that they rose, Gabriella avoiding the condemnatory eyes of the Spanish nurse behind the desk, and instead keeping her orbs fixed straight ahead of her.

They entered the clinic office timidly after receiving a welcoming 'come in,' upon knocking. The two shuffled to their chairs, their eyes darting around the office in an attempt to look everywhere but at the doctor.

The tall, femal doctor cleared her throat. "Pleasure to meet you, I'm Dr Milano," she introduced, extending her long arm to first Troy ("Troy Bolton, hi,") and then Gabriella: "And so you must be Miss Montez," to which Gabriella nodded and slid awkwardly into the cushioned blue chair.

Dr Ramano spent a few moments flicking through her files before she addressed them again. She was of tall and slender build, with a thin and relatively sallow face but for her rounded cheeks that had been dusted lightly with blusher. Turtle-shell glasses that were perched meticulously on the edge of her pointed nose, framed her large brown eyes and magnified a light brown mole she had just below her left eye. She wore a short-sleeved, cream blouse with a pleated centre, and as she stood to shuffle her chair forward an inch or two, a black, knee-length, pencil skirt came into view.

"Okay," she said brightly. "I see that the two of you are feeling a little...tense. How about I just ask you both a few questions; learn a little about you guys and ease ourselves into it, yes?" Both gave little flicks of their head for answers. "Umm...okay, so how long have the two of you been together?"

"Just over a year," Troy answered immediately.

"Ahh, high school sweethearts," she said knowingly with a gentle smile.

"Not exactly," Gabriella corrected with a quiet voice. "Umm...we...we're best friends. We've been friends since...literally forever."

"Our parents were friends, we were - are - friends. You get the idea." Already Troy was able to feel himself becoming more relaxed; the muscles in arms were no longer tense, his viens no longer protruding and he felt himself talking freely.

The small talk continued for another ten minutes or so, and in that time, Dr Ramano had learnt about their school lives - Troy being a jock and Gabriella, in contrast, more academically of the academic mindset -; knew what they planned to study at college; and also had the pleasure of being told a few anicdotes from the pairs' past.

There was a subtle shift in the room that was noted by all when Dr Ramano shuffled her file together. It was now time for the pleasantries to end - for the matter at hand to be dealt with.

"Can I ask," the doctor carefully brooched, not wanting to disturb the comfortable atmosphere. "What made the two of you decide to come and see me - by me, I just mean..." she gesticulated as she searched for her desired word. "Well, this clinic."

Gabriella looked over at Troy and subtly tipped her head in the direction of the doctor, telling him to answer. Troy slipped his hand beneath the collar of his checked shirt as he awkwardly scracthed the back of his neck. "It wasn't really our choice. Our parents wanted us to come."

"Well even in that case, I think it's absolutely fantastic that the two of you seemingly have open discussions with your parents when it comes to your being intimate," - Gabriella flinched - "Many teens your age would rather be secretive about it, and not tell a parent or gaurdian about this particular development in their relationship."

Gabriella was tempted to just allow the doctors praise to wash over her, but then she reconsidered; deciding that, having an open discussion made more sense than being given advice base on misconceptions on the doctor's part. "That...wasn't our choice either," she said tactfully.

"Let me guess, didnt lock the door?"

"Something like that," Gabriella admitted, blushing.

For a few moments, silence filled the room as Dr Ramano simply nodded to them. Finally, she stirred, picking up a photo frame that was facing her and turned it around, showing Troy and Gabriella a boy of about their age. He had floppy brown hair, very similar to Troy's, the same olive skin as Doctor Ramano and a wide, bright smile.

"That's Vincent, my son."

"Your son?" Troy said incredulously, unable to censor his immediate reaction. "I'm sorry, I just...I didnt think you were old enough, you know?" He was blushing at his blunder.

"I got pregnant with Vince only a few weeks after my fifteenth birthday." She hadn't expected them to respond to her personal revelation and so she merely continued retelling that particular time of her life. "My parents are very strict Catholics. They were well off and sent me to an equally strict Catholic private school, where you were practially risking expelltion for mentioning that 'three letter word' and were preached nothing but abstanence. So, my sex ed came via issues of _Cosmo_ that were passed around the school halls in secret." She leaned against the back of her chair, her hands folded in her lap like a child that was retelling a secret; she wasnt speaking to Troy, or to Gabriella, she was merely speaking.

"I met this guy and he said all of the right things and I thought we were in love - as you do at that age - and _then_... well, we started sleeping together. Then, we thought all we had to do was use a condom and we were good. We had no idea that they weren't always effective of that there were other forms of contraception. When I got pregnant, he ran a mile, and for so many years - even though I wouldn't give up Vince for the world - I felt bitter and resented my parents for not talking about sex honestly with me. That's when I decided that, I could help other young people who had no one else to ask. If the two of you leave here with nothing else today, please remember this: if you're unsure, if you have questions," she said emphatically, "ask someone. Not one of your friends, who likely knows little more than you do, someone with experience. Please."

******

Despite the ocassional awkward questions - "Troy, I assume you know to squeeze the tip of the condom while rolling it onto your fully erect penis?" - the meeting had gone relatively well and the young couple exited the clinic feeling empowered by their new-found knowledge. Hand in hand once again, the two strolled towards Troy's truck - that he had taken to care to park two blocks from the clinic, for fear of being spotted - with Troy secretively clutching a mauve paper bag.

Neither of them spoke until they were safely within the sweltering heat of Troy's truck. The first sound to slowly chip away at the silence was that of Troy's restrained snort which eventually escalated into a full-blown guffaw. Gabriella was unsure of what had rendered Troy to such a state, but she didn't care; the pure joy of his laughter was enough to make her join him. Her sweet, honey giggles mingled with his - the fusion of laughs creating a loving melody.

It seemed they had been laughing forever before Troy finally contained himself - but not without letting a few more chuckles slip through his tightly clamped lips. "Oh, wow," he exhaled, his cheeks still flushed.

"What got into you?" Gabriella asked, brushing loose strands of hair from her cheeks and smoothing them behind her ears, instead.

"I don't know," came Troy's honest reply. "As I was getting in, I glanced at that," he tipped his head towards the dashboard where the purple bag had been perched. "And I thought it was hilariously funny that we went to a sexual health clinic and were handed that bag, right, and told to take as many condoms as we wanted. So, _really..._while enforcing a 'safe sex' message, they've pretty much only encouraged us by giving us a supply large enough to last until we at least go to college." By the time he had finished, he was already laughing once more, and shaking his head in disbelief. Gabriella on the other hand merely rolled her eyes.

"You can be such a guy, sometimes."

"An' that's why you love me, baby," he said cockily, with a Danny Zuko-type head nod and wink.

"I do," Gabriella sighed, flopping against the back of her seat with her eyes closed. Remaining in that same position, she smiled and let a shy giggle bubble through her lips when she felt a pair of warm, soft lips mould against her own.

"I love you, too," Troy earnestly whispered, before pressing his lips quickly against her nose and then shifting the gear out of park, to begin their ride home.

******

As Troy and Gabriella's appointment had been booked in the middle of the day, when they got back to Gabriella's house they still had plenty of time to kill before either of their parents were expected home. Of course, three weeks ago, this situation would have been one they could only have dreamt of; had such opportunity arrived, they would have impatiently torn off each other's clothes and ran up to Gabriella's room directly - in that exact order. Now, however - although there was definitely a lot of passionate kissing, quite a bit of groping, and a little foreplay - they were able to act with more restraint, and the majority of the time was spent with actions that remained firmly in the PG-sector.

They sat together on a deep red sofa in Gabriella's living room, snuggled onto one cushion - although the sofa could have comfortably seat four. They had made themselves sandwiches to curb their hunger (Gabriella's Tuna, while Troy had opted for Salami) and were currently munching away, Troy feeding his girlfriend bits of his sandwich whenever she would gaze up and flutter her lashes at him.

"No one forced you to have tuna, you know that, right?" he teased.

"I know, but I don't really want it any more and I used the last of the salami in your sandwich," she pouted.

Huffing, Troy suggested, "Why don't we split them - half and half?" and swapped half his sandwich for Gabriella's, taking a bite of the tuna fish on wholemeal bread and shrugging indifferently at the flavour.

A little while later, he noted that Gabriella didn't seem any happier - even with her favoured lunch choice before her. She absent-mindedly picked at the meat and pulled the crust from her bread, while chewing pensively at her bottom lip. He nudged her softly. "Hey, what's the matter?"

Gabriella sighed. She lifted the saucer from her lap and placed her sandwich down on the small, glass table before them. She then shifted her position, folding her legs up onto the couch before burying her head in Troy's chest. She laced the fingers of his right hand with her left, stroking his upper arm with her free hand and then began to speak. "I was just thinking that...I think I want to talk to my Mom about going on some kind of birth control," she said shyly, her eyes flicking up to meet his tentatively.

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh."

"What kind?"

"Well, The Pill seems the most obvious. I don't think I'm gonna get that shot that Dr Milano mentioned cuz needles and I just _don't_ have that kind of relationship, but I also want to get more information about the implant."

"Okay," Troy said simply. "It kind of made me think, you know, what she said about how she came to have her son," Troy revealed. "I felt really bad for her - especially when she said that the guy she was with didn't want anything to do with it. I started thinking of what we would do if we were in the same situation."

"What would we do?"

"Whatever needed to be done," Troy answered without a moment's hesitation. "Ella, I know that we're young and that things...things are going to be crazy over the next few months, what with college and everything, but if that ever happened to us, I'd be right there, you know that, right? I wouldn't ditch you. I'd stay and if things were hard then we'd handle it together. What we have, I could be wrong, but I don't think people find relationships like ours everyday, you know? I think this is real: you and me, like always," he said, smiling crookedly.

Gabriella felt herself well up when Troy presented her with a curled little finger. She extended her own, and locked it with his. The Pinky Promise. Something so simple, and yet so profound happened with that small gesture; it felt completely different to all the times they had done that same thing during their childhood: as their fingers locked, so did their hearts. They felt their love bind together.

Impenetrable.

******

Troy left Gabriella's at about 5pm; both were attempting to avoid more akward moments and so thought it was best if they avoided one another's parents for a short while. For that reason, Troy left a few hours before Maria was due back and also before his parents would get suspicious of his whereabouts and feel the need to question him when he returned home. When he got home, only his Jack was present - a situation that Troy preferred on this ocassion as Jack was less likely to pry than his mother.

"Hey, Dad," Troy casually said as he walked into the kitchen where his Dad was tapping away at his laptop (checking out colleges, probably, Troy thought to himself).

"Hey, Troy," Jack replied, tearing his eyes fianlly from the bright screen and shutting the lid softly. "How was..uhh today?"

"You know," Troy shrugged with deliberate nonchalance (that he knew his father would appreciate) as he pulled the ring on a can of Mountain Dew. "Good." He tipped his head back, allowing the cold liquid to slip down his throat and groaned in content.

"Good."

"I know that sometime you might worry that Gabriella and me are too serious.

"Troy-"

"Wait, let me finish. Like I said, I know you worry about that and, if I'm to be honest, I understand. I mean, we haven't even been to college yet and to a certain extent we're all wrapped up in each other. As a parent I guess you could be concerned that we would let our focus get diverted from our futures - our education, I mean, not just our futures with each other. But that isn't going to happen."

"How can you be that certain?" Jack asked, speaking for the first time. Interested in what his son had to say, he propped his left elbow up on the kitchen counter and rested his firm chin upon the fist he had formed.

"Today made me realise even more so that you have to be grateful for who you have in your life. Me and Gabriella probably take you guys for granted sometimes but I realised today that people out there would kill to have parents who are as involded as you, Mom and, Aunt Maria. I really love Gabriella. She means the world to me and you know that. So, if staying focused, not messing up and getting into trouble means that, one day, without any hiccups, we can be happy and she can have the life that she deserves - and that I can be the one who has the honour of giving it to her? Then...I'll go to all these appointments and find out what I need to, and I'll stay focused in school," he nodded. "I promise."

"Troy, everything you've said is incredibly commendable and I don't doubt for a single second that you love Gabi as much as you say you do, but it still worries me that everything you say you're willing to do is still _all_ for Gabriella's benefit. Shouldn't you be doing it for yourself to the equal extent that you're doing it for her?"

"You don't understand, Dad, this is for me just as much as it is for her. If Gabriella's happy, then I'm happy."

Just as Maria had a few days prior, Jack saw a young man standing before him in the shape of his son. It swelled his heart with pride that he was able to claim the boy as his own, to accept, partially, the credit for this determined, spirited man entering the world. He saw a glint in his eyes that evening. It wasn't unfamiliar to him; he would see if often when Troy would get into a passionate discussion over basketball, or in the middle of game when his son would truly come into his own. But, at that moment, the glint had magnified intensely as Troy had spoken about his love for Gabriella. It was no longer a small, almost undetectable twinkle within the depths of his blue iris', it was a glow that radiated throughout his entire body: his smile widened, his eyes expanded, the energy that his body exerted as a whole was more exuberant and positive. Any worries Jack had previously possessed drifted calmly away like a leaf being swept along by the current, until it was no longer able to to associate itself with the beach it had previously lain on, because knew that his son was going to be okay.

* * *

**Review! Review! **


	17. Eighteen: Home Improvement

**A/N: I know, it's been a while and I apologise for that, but I've been super busy...and the writing block I had didn't help :(. Don't have much to say for this, except I hope you enjoy because I put a lot of time and effort into this. Also, sorry about that non-update, yesterday - that was a little mistake on my part. ...But maybe your even more excited now for this chapter? Please review! I spent way too long on this to have the feeling that it's been sucked into a black hole. And to my regular reviewers - thank you so much. As always, love you guys!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my words and ideas.**

**Rated: M for language and sexual scenes**

* * *

Troy sighed, calling Gabriella dejectedly as he sunk into the sofa. Flipping his phone shut and chucked it carelessly behind him, hearing it hit the back of the sofa before thudding against its seat.

Gabriella appeared quickly before him with a wide smile. "Hey."

Troy, in response, curled up the right corner of his lip, giving her an apologetic smile. He then slid over a notebook, one sheet of which he had defaced with several scrawled figures and watched as his girlfriend's brows knitted in an attempt to figure out their meaning.

Then her eyes slowly widened when realisation hit her. "How much!" Troy nodded.

Almost a week before this day, the pair had been cuddled together watching a design show on the television - Troy had little interest in watching the transformation of a stranger's home, but it was a guilty pleasure of Gabriella's that he had learnt to endure. That was when Gabriella first laid eyes on a particular shade of milk chocolate brown that she instantly fell in love with; seeing the effect the colour had had on her, Troy had suggested, being the perfect boyfriend he was, that they use that colour to decorate their brand new flat.

Having found the name of the company, Troy contacted them to enquire about prices and literally felt his heart leap in his chest when he was told that the paint was priced at $38 - per litre. They'd need five litres to cover their bedroom alone. The sales assistant then advised they used a top quality, professional decorater to ensure the paint was applied to the 'best possible standard, to do justice to the esquisite beauty of the colour'. Of course, being the high end company they were, this service they, too, were able to offer - at a 'resonable' cost. It soon became apparent to Troy that his definition of reasonable differed drastically from the lady on the phone; he spluttered a shocked goodbye when he had completed the calculation that made his eyes bug, and deleted the number from his phone before snapping it shut - he wouldn't be calling them back for a good number of years.

All this he retold to Gabriella, who looked at him sadly although attempting to mask her disappointment.

"I'm sorry, babe, I really wanted to get it for you."

"Hey, don't worry about it," she said, folding herself into his open, inviting arms and pressing her lips against the underside of his jaw. "I really should have known better than to get my hopes up about it; they spent so much fixing that house up, the paint was hardly going to be cheap, was it?"

Troy buried his nose into Gabriella's curls before retreating and kissing her forehead soundly. "Maybe that paint is more for an apartment you own. We could, like, set a goal: when we get a place of our own, we'll buy that paint...and get some ridiculously expensive decorator to put it up," he chuckled. Gabriella nodded, smiling in agreement.

When it really came down to making tough college decisions, the two, after long talks into the night, had arrived at their decision, telling their parent's that they wanted to rent a flat together. Their wishes went against their parents desires; the three of them had hoped the two would not rush into anything; it wasn't that they didn't believe in their relationship, they just rathered the their children did not find themselves renting at such a young age, spending their money unecessarily when they could be saving for a mortgage.

Troy and Gabriella, however, were firm with the decision. Calculating their savings, their plan was to rent for two years only - three at maximum - which would fly by, and by the end of that period they would then be in a position to afford to buy a place. They moved at the start of the summer, only two weeks after graduation as they wanted time to acclimatize to their new environment in California before the school year recommenced.

Understandably, they found that cheap apartments that still offered them a decent living environment were much coveted. For that reason when luck struck and they were offered a small but nice looking place that was within their budget, Troy wanted to accept without hesitation.

They had agreed off the bat that they'd find a place equadistant from both Stanford, where Gabriella was going to be studying, and Berkley, Troy's choice of college. However, when this apartment became available, it was closer to Stanford than it was Berkley; Troy found the offer too hard to refuse nonetheless, and after using his persuasive talents on Gabriella, they signed the contract; adding ten minutes to Troy's journies in the morning in exchange for the flat.

"I know it's only small and everything," Gabriella began after a comfortable silence, "but I really do love this place." Troy smiled and pulled back lightly so he could see her contented smile. "It's really tiny, yeah, but it's...it's ours, you know?" Troy nodded. "And i feel like we've just taken this huge step together and...and I like it."

"It doesn't scare you?" He asked. "When I told Jason that we were talking about getting a place he thought we were crazy; he said we'd fight like cat and dog cuz we'd get frustrated living on top of each other."

Gabriella took a moment to ponder the question; she knew how she felt about their living arrangments, but she took the times just to order what she wanted to say. "Even a year ago, I would have thought that the idea of living with you was crazy." She noticed Troy's contracting brows and chuckled slightly, restinng a reassuring hand over his, gently stroking. "Back then, I would have thought, like Jason does, that we wouldn't want to be together so much. Being together twenty-four-seven as friends is completely different; in a relationship you can't just walk out every times the other person annoys, can you?"

"Exactly, you have to be more mature about things...especially when you can't just go back to your house," Troy laughed.

"Right. Anyway, like I said, the idea would have scared me before but now it doesn't. Everything is so different for us now; we're in completely unfamiliar territory and so to be able to share it with you, to know that I'll be able to come home and you're their, rather than some stranger...it makes everything else easier to handle, because we're doing it together." She smiled simply, the faintest creeping blush upon her cheeks, a result of her slight embarrassment.

"I love you," Troy said simply. He hugged her tightly, almost crushing her body against his chest. "East High was like...as conceited as it sounds, my kingdom; I knew everyone and everyone knew me, and even with the people you don't get along with there's that comforting sense of the familiar. Except here, without you, I'm just...a random guy and no one gives a crap about the little things about me. No one knows that I'm sickeningly in love with you or that the only reason I haven't driven my truck into the junk yard is cuz me and dad fixed it up. And I'd miss that...but I don't have to, because I have you." He smiled and ducked his head for another chaste kiss.

"Troy Bolton," Gabriella whispered, her lips only an inch from Troy's, her eyes the innocent and sultry aspects of her personality that were forever in conflict. "People hear you being so mushy like that, you'll lose your credibilty out here in Cali before you even build it up," she teased with a quirked brow.

"Let them laugh," Troy said boldly, proudly boasting: "I'd shout it from the rooftop if I found a building high enough."

()()()

Their lips instantly locked, the passion building slowly; hands stroked softly while their tongues tangled and their breaths grew in rapidity. They shifted the positions, increasing the ease with which they were able to connect. Troy rose so he was more seated, this causing Gabriella to follow his lead, shuffling upwards until she was straddling his hips; all this whilst Troy wiggled her ribbed vest up her slender torso.

Gabriella had been sucked into the world of the book she had been so intently reading. Her eyes widened slowly at the words she soaked into her subconscious; she was completely unaware of everything else around her. She flipped the page excitedly a smile pulling at her lips and...

"Babe," called Troy with a straggled voice as he struggled through the door of their apartment, his arms firmly clamped around the brown paper bags he carried.

He lifted his gaze, and the smile he wore fell to a sheepish grin as he saw Gabriella's narrowed eyes. "Before you get mad, please remember that you love me way more than you love that book?"

Gabriella rolled her eyes, and lifted her body from the couch, wiggling the pins and needles from her limbs, her legs having been curled beneath her bottom. She outstrecthed her arms, taking one of the sacks from Troy and the two made their way to the kitchenette.

Immediatley, Gabriella began organising the items Troy had bought; the milk, eggs and juice went into the respective fridge compartment, while the pasta, flour and sugar found their way into the cupboards. Troy dipped his hand into one of the bags, pulling out a loaf of bread, and as he crossed the small area to get to the cupboard, he looped his free arm around Gabriella's waist, pulling her body flush against his; the feeling of her chest pressing against his own conjuring interesting pictures within Troy's mind.

Before capturing her lips softly with his own, he said "Hello to you, my beautiful girlfriend," having finally shaken his elicit thoughts from his mind.

Gabriella didn't resist his touch; after being without if for almost four hours - much too long, in her opinion - she was incapable of doing so. "Hello to you, too, boyfriend," she replied once they had parted; she wrapped her arms about his torso and snuggled into his chest.

"Do I not get a descriptive word, too?" Troy pouted. "I mean, you got 'beautiful', I think I should get one: Adonis, hunky, sexy...I'm just throwing some appropriate ones out there - you can use others if you feel you have one more fitting," he said, shrugging his shoulders in mock seriousness.

Pushing her fists his stomach - not that seemed to feel them against his rock hard abs - Gabriella separated their bodies. "Geek? nerd?" She teased.

"Ouch, that is no way to speak to your genius boyfriend," Troy replied as he followed her back over to the sofa. In response to Gabriella's raised brow, he said: "I have found a solution to our paint woes." He ignored Gabriella's snort at his choice of words. "There's this place I found today - I kind of got tried to find a short cut and got lost on my way back from the gym. Anyways, it's like this recyling centre, right, and people bring their old paint there. Babe, there's like practically every colour you can think of; we can definitely find something there we want - and it's totally free." Troy's pride was uncontainable; his chest swelled and his smile dominated his face.

"Okay...I admit it, you're more than just a pretty face." Gabriella pretended to be reluctant in her praise for him, but her smile told him that she felt otherwise.

"So you want to go down there?"

"Now?"

"Time waits for no man," he quoted, before adding hastily at the sight of Gabriella's cocked brows: "Of course, time will wait for a woman...everybody waits for a beautiful woman like you," he flattered. "If we get down there now, we can start as soon as we get back. We don't even have to pick something for the entire place, but at least make head way."

Gabriella considered this. Although their parents had obviously seen their new home, it had been when they had just moved in; you couldn't see the floor for the boxes -in short it had looked like a bomb had just hit it. Now there was a little more order, all the place needed were a few good coats of paint for it to be truly worthy of guests. Her eyes twinkled at the possiblity of being able to host their parents and before she had even communicated this to Troy, she yanked on his hand, dragging him into the door - pausing only for a nano second to slip on her flip flops.

()()()

Exhausted from their hard work into the early hours, Troy and Gabriella flopped onto the the cloth-protected couch and groaned. They had gotten back from the recycling centre just after five the previous day. The late setting of the Californian sun allowed them to work with natural lighting for five solid hours; even after the sun had slipped deep below the horizon, they persisted, determination overriding their fatigue. Now the sun pierced at the night, with streaks of pink bleeding through the dark expanse of sky and together the couple admired their work.

"The two of us make a good team, Montez." Troy rose his palm to hive five Gabriella's. The two were so tired, their limbs so worn, that it took them five attempts before their hands actually connected.

Gabriella's trademark giggled attempted to seep through her lips but instead only a weak chuckle bubbled through. "We did good." Her speech was slightly slurred with tiredness.

"Come on," Troy took her hand. "Let's wash off and get to bed." He kissed one of the many spots of dried paint (this one on her forehead) and patted the tip of her nose."

"Let's stay here...just for a bi..." her words were incomplete, cut short by a monstrous yawn and Troy couldn't refuse her pleading eyes.

"Just for a bit," he agreed, opening his arms and readjusting his body so she could curl into his chest.

()()()

There wasn't a sight as painful as watching Troy attempt to dicipher the recipe instructions for a simple lasagne. Originally Gabriella had been taking care of the food preparation while Troy tackled the dishes - but that was even more of an ordeal. He had only had to wash five plates, some cutlery, a few glasses and two pots, but in that painstaking hour, he had managed to break a glass, and had practically flooded the small kitchen area. And by the time he cut his hand on one of the knives, Gabriella ordered a redistribution of tasks.

"Babe, seriously," Gabriella said with exasperation as she ran the dishes under the cold tap to rinse off the soapy residue. "I'm not even asking you to cook it; just read the book, measure the ingredients and prepare them. I don't think Einstein struggled this much when inventing electricity for goodness sakes."

Troy had been intently hunched over the open cookbook, his brows knitted into one as he examined the text; Gabriella was certain that, if she inched a little closer, she would see tiny beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.

"It isn't that simple," he defended: "This book's british and our scales, and measuring jug is American."

Gabriella rolled her eyes, dried her hands on the back of her jeans, and fethced her laptop from the sofa. She set it down next to Troy, and tapped 'weight conversions' into Google, indicated pointedly at the screen, and then returned to wiping the excess water from the work surface by the sink.

"I would've thought of that eveutally," he mumbled.

It had taken the pair two days of solid work to complete the flat; each corner had been approached carefully with the paint brush and every mistake corrected. Eventually, they finished with aching muscles, but also overwhelming pride. They called their parents almost immediately, inviting them over - their giggling excitement when making the calls, overriding the maturity within their voices that had, in the few weeks they had been in California, enhanced. Each parent had their fair share of frequent flyer miles which were redeemed for the earliest possible flight from Albequerque* to California.

Gabriella wanted everything to be perfect for when they came; she wanted to assure their parents of the fact that they could handle the responsibilty of having their own apartment. Their flight was due to land in less than two hours - everything had to be perfect.

Once Troy had finally measured out the ingredients required for the lasagne, he disappeared into the bedroom; Gabriella waited curiously as sounds of him scurrying deep in boxes floated through the apartment.

Five minutes later, Troy reemerged, the sight of him caused Gabriella to bust up with laughter. She howled loudly, set down the knife she was holding and howled some more; she bent at the waist and howled, she gripped the counter to steady herself and the howling continued.

Troy stood before Gabriella bemused. "What?" He asked with genuine ignorance.

"What the hell are you wearing?" Gabriella spluttered, dabbing at her cheeks to catch the small tear drops that had formed. She struggled to calm herself. Every glance she took at Troy, her giggles resumed.

Troy shrugged. He wore a pair of jeans - a pair Gabriella favoured because of the way they held his bottom - and a simple khaki tee, that contrasted nicely with his cobalt orbs, but neither of these items had been the source of Gabriella's laughter - that was owing to the latest addition he had made to the outfit. A pair of swimming goggles, fixed tightly over his eyes.

As Troy blinked, he felt his long lashes brush the lenses, and as he spoke, he smirked at his view of Gabriella - tinted blue through the goggles. "I have to chop and fry the onion," he said, by way of explanation.

Gabriella shook her head and smiled at just how adorable he was. Her heart pounded within her chest, almost uncontainable. It was a strange thing: Troy did not look like he's usual eighteen year old self; the lust in his eyes had been replaced by a young innocence, his naturally flirtatious smirk was now a sheepish grin. It made Gabriella feel young and girly, and the heat spread in her cheeks before she even had a minute to process her emotions. Shyness suddenly overwhelmed her, and she fixed her eyes on the ground as she giggled. It was then that something profound hit her - an epiphany, if you will.

She had thought it had only been only four months since she had fallen in love with Troy Bolton - four months since they had exchanged that three-lettered sentence. But she looked at him at that moment; she saw everything in a new light, as though the shadows of her life had been cleared. A little boy stood before her, of five or six years old; a boy she had laughed with, cried with, held hands with and hugged.

A little boy that she had fallen in love with long ago.

()()()

Troy nodded proudly as he surveyed the simmering pots that lay on the stove. He liked the feeling, knowing that together he and Gabriella - from scratch - had prepared a meal. He rose a glass to his mouth, but the cold water had barely splashed against his lips when his action was stilled by a surprise rap against the front door. He treaded towards the door with curiosity, his eye immediately finding the small spy-hole. He assumed that, as nobody had rung the intercom, it had to have been one of their neighbours, but...

"Surprise!" Came the three voices of Jack, Lucille and Maria, merged into one as he pulled the door open.

"Hey!" The two women immediately lunged at him, pulling him into a hug and kissing his cheeks. "Hey ma, hey Mrs. M." When he was finally released from their grasp, he smiled and said, "hey, Pop," with a manly hug.

They made themselves at home instantly, stroking the various fabrics in the living room and inspecting the paint job.

"This place certainly looks different from the last time we were here," was Jack's comment.

"Huh...yeah, we've been pretty busy these last few weeks," Troy said proudly.

"Where's Gabi?" Maria asked, expectantly.

"She's still getting ready. You guys weren't meant to be here for another hour so she wasn't ready to come pick you up yet," Troy explained on her behalf.

"We may have given you guys a different flight time...wanted to see your faces when you saw us," Maria said mischieviously.

At that moment, Gabriella exited the bedroom, her hair hung in an elegant mid-height ponytail; she wore a charcoal grey hi-low top, with a pair of black short. Again greetings were exchanged, and her surprise at their early arrival was expressed.

()()()

"Where did you get this," Jack said with a awed voice as he chomped on another forkful of lasagne.

"I resent the assumption that it was shop-bought," Gabriella responded. "It was made by our very hands."

"Yeah and I even helped," Troy proudly chimed in, his chest swelling.

"Sure you did."

"One chopped onion, fried for three minutes; one tea-spoon of cinnamon..."

"Sweet Lord the boy actually cooked something edible."

"Yes, yes I did and it tastes better than anything you've ever made. In fact, I believe this is going to become my signature dish."

"Babe it's your only dish," Gabriella whispered, squeezing his thigh under the table.

"Even more reason for it to be my signature."

()()()

The ocean lapped gently against the shore line, the saline scent dancing in the air in its wake. Gabriella strolled along with her toes burying themselves deep into the sand with each step. Their parents were flying out later that evening, so the group had risen early, deciding to take a picnic out onto the beach to savour the fleeting moments.

"I hate that you guys had to stay in a hotel while you here. We'll get a bigger place one day and everyone will be able to stay over." Gabriella sighed as her and her mother walked arm-in-arm.

Maria turned to her, curious. "You regretting it already?" Even though the sun was viciously shining upon them, Maria lifted her sun glasses and perched them instead upon her crown, nestled among her deep brown tresses. "It sounds like the novelty has worn off."

Gabriella shook her head emphatically in denial. "No, not at all. I really do love it. But...every situation can be improved upon, right?" Her mother nodded.

"But you're still happy with the decision the two of you have made?" Maria, of the three parents, had been the most vocal in her disapproval of their plan when the idea had first been bought to them. Although she loved Troy like a son, and believed he would never intentionally hurt Gabriella, having experienced life as a single parent, she was adamant in her belief that Gabriella had to establish her own independence before making such a move.

Eventually she had given them her blessing; having faith that the two had a solid plan and were not acting solely on their hormonal urges - that did not stop her from being a mother however, that did not stop her from worrying.

"You worry too much, Ma," Gabriella answered, nudging her mother playfully. "This is right for us. Besides, we have a plan."

Maria sighed and gazed at her daughter with a contemplatory hesitation. "You know," she mused. "Once you start having sex in a relationship," - Gabriella blushed - "you can't go back to holding hands. Sharing a flat is a lot like that; it may work without any hiccups...or it could go dreadfully wrong. It creates a complexity that I wish you weren't dealing with at such a young age," Maria sighed.

"When you found out Troy and I had started sleeping together, you told me I wasn't ready. When we told you guys that we wanted to move in...you told me I wasn't ready. But I am, Ma, and you have to trust that. I'm ready to share myself with him." Gabriella knew her mother was smart enough to understand the double meaning of her words. The two had never had a real discussion about her and Troy's sexual activity, so Gabriella thought this was the perfect opportunities. "We know that this isn't just a phase that we can slip into and we're alright with that. I love Troy and when he looks at me..." Gabriella's cheeks deepened in colour once more and she giggled lightly. "He looks at me like I'm his world, and the idea of college, the idea of the unfamiiar scared the heck out of me, but when I knew I'd be with Troy...well, it didn't seem that bad." She gave her mother a small smile before spotting Troy with his parents up ahead and waving at them, blowing Troy a kiss when he threw one through the air with a flick of his wrist as he would one of his precious basketballs.

Maria watched the two love birds with an intensity that morning, and when she landed back in Albuqureque that evening, it felt good to settle in her own bed; its familiar lumps and bumps lulling her to sleep. She slept without disruptions, her breathing steady and calm. For eighteen years, she had worried for her daughter and for the last eight of those years, she had had to bare the brunt of that alone; she was used to restless nights, only getting to bed as the birds awoke.

But not that night. That night, her sleep sleep was calm and uninterrupted. She had no reason to worry.

()()()

Having already fallen into the rhthyhm of a married couple, Troy and Gabriella floated effortlessly around each other, clearing the dishes away after having driven their parents to the airport.

"I think we did pretty well, don't you?" Troy asked as wrapped his arms around Gabriella waist from behind, and nuzzled his nose into his neck.

Her hand reached around, grasping at the nape of his neck, gently scratching with her fingernails. She twisted her head at an awkward angle to meet his lips in a kiss. As Troy spun her around, pressing her body against the counter, Gabriella's tongue wrapped around Troy's, but she allowed Troy to dominate the kiss; sucking on her own tongue fervently, and nibbling on her lips. When they parted, the passionate kiss disolving into sweet pecks, Gabriella nodded.

Smiling, she said, "Mom didn't look as terrifed when she left, so I think we proved that we're not living in squaller." Although she laughed, her statement was completely serious; she had known from the very beginning that, her mother in particular, hadn't approved of their decision and so to rise to the challenge, and show themselves capable of such responsiblity, the guilt that Gabriella ocassionally harboured was abated.

"Yep, we showed them that we're mature..." here, Troy nibbled on Gabriella neck. "We're responsible..." this time it was the flesh of her collar bone that was captured between Troy's lips, and it wasn't freed until Gabriella was writhing against him, moaning as she gripped his neck. "And that we're all grown."

Troy's tone was so suggestive, that Gabriella felt her heart start; her mouth ran dry but in another part of her body, she felt an abundance of moisture. Their eyes watched one another lustfully, both silently daring the other to make the first move. They snapped at the same time: Gabriella pushed her lips hungrily against Troy's while he lifted her effortlessly off the floor, Gabriella responding immediately and fixing her legs around his waist, losing all inhebitions as Troy carried her off to the bedroom. Through the thin material of Troy's basketball shorts, Gabriella could feel his developing erection grinding against her and each time it did so, her breath hitched; her left arm tightening around Troy's sturdy neck, while her right hand dug further into his short hair with a desperate need.  
So much had changed in those few short months since they had first consumated their relationship. The dramatic shift between high school and college had forced them closer together, emotionally and physically. It was as though they both felt the need to stake their claim in the other; leaving one another under no illusions that they were not loved and worshipped to the ends of the earth.

They tumbled onto the bed in somewhat of a calamity; Gabriella felt the crown of her head bump the headboard, but any pain or even mild discomfort Troy sought to instantly pacified with his caressing lips, that moulded into each crevice of her neck, gradually descending until he was sucking profusely on the skin that sat just above the scopped neckline of her tank top.

As she felt Troy branding her, Gabriella captured the moment: she remembered the first time he had left his 'mark' on her. It was a relatively momentus step in the relationship of two teens; it seemed to mark the definite transcendence from best friends to a couple. Prior to that moment, they both had the habit of forgetting that their hugs held a now greater significance, but that mark seemed to solidify their new relationship.

"Hmm..." she whimpered, her back arching of its own accord as Troy's tongue danced over the now reddy patch of skin.

Troy gently pulled her top over her head, wanting to savour every moment, wanting to recall each pant, whisper and contorted facial expression. He made quick work of her bra clasp, the item almost springing from her chest. He then attempted to take the soft mounds between his lips, but Gabriella resisted. She had grown resentful of his obstructing clothes; she wanted to feel the definition of his abs, the dip of his belly button and curled hairs that marked the path to his erection. Troy didn't impeded her at all; while she tugged at his thin cotton vest, he kicked his shorts of as though the light material scorched at his skin.

Suddenly, and reluctantly, Troy pulled away, ignoring Gabriella's whimpering pleas and refusing to rejoin there lips. Cermoniously, he sat back on his haunches and smiled at her, his expression laced with both lust and secrecy. Finally, he acted, peeling her boy short panties down her clammy legs until she was on full display. Craving the need to feel his body in its full capacity, Gabriella began to tug at his boxers without restraint, pulling so hard that his penis practically jumped out at her when it was finally released. Troy, welcoming, the gush of cool air that hit his burning erection, sighed; he offered Gabriella a helping hand, pushing the item down also, and finally flicking it from his feet.

It amazed him how comfortable they had become with both themselves and each other. Their was no longer that moments hesitation when the sight of the other's nude body would cause them to dissolve into shy, wary glances and childlike blushes, as though they were viewing something forbidden. Having said that, no matter how frequently he saw her unclothed body, the raw, unenhanced, natural beauty of her form never ceased to make his heart thump, his eyes glisten and butterflies swirl in his stomach; each stimulated by the overwhelming love he felt for her, and the undending gratitude he felt for being honoured with such a magnificent woman.

He dipped his head, taking a moment just to inhale the sweet scent of perfume that lingered on her neck, before raising his head and whispered a heart-felt, "I love you," before pressing their lips together.

Such was the state of Gabriella's arousal, that it was mere seconds before she was moaning into Troy's ear, her molten liquid secreting over his nimble fingers, aiding them as they were slowly inserted into her body. Her hips thrusted upward, but Troy attempted to maintain control, varying the speed and pressure of his thrusting fingers as to allow the best possible climax.

"No...stop, oh, Troy," she breathed, her head thrashing on the pillow. "Don't...don't stop," she then panted in a pleading tone, causing Troy to chuckle at her contradictory statements.

"I've got this, baby, I'm gonna take care of you," he promised faithfully, still worshipping her with little kisses to enhance the pleasure that swarmed her body.

He wiggled his fingers gently, feeling them tap against her inner walls, while his free left hand rose to his lips. Gabriella's eyes had forced themselves to remain open, catching each erotic moment; his lips encased the very tip of his thumb, allowing him to suck on it, his tongue wetting the digit; then, moist with his saliva, he pressed it purposefully against her tender clit.

That was it - the end.

"Oh! Oh, Troy...fuck..." she twisted her body as though in pain, but Troy knew that only pleasure invaded her, and was the cause of her harsh, laboured breaths. "I can...oh shi-"

Her body colied upwards, forcefully shuddering; her gripping arms keeping her locked against Troy's chests while he continued to massage her. He whispered in her ear while he screamed his name, gasped for breaths. When the last ounce of pleasure had coursed through her, and the height of her toe-curling orgasm had subsided, she collapsed back onto the bed, almost lifeless.

Troy knew she was ready for more, however, and his tight, straining organ was most definitely ready for more, so as he swivelled his body, facing away from his recovering girlfriend, he reached his arm outwards, and felt around blindly in the bedside drawer, until his fingers felt the desired strip of foils. He ripped one off, and carefully pulled it out. From behind him, Gabriella's arm extended, wordlessly taking the item. He turned to face her, readjusting his position, returning to his previous spot, knealing between her open legs. The rubber his hit tip, causing Troy to sigh at just how cloe he was to entering the woman with the gentle touch.

"What is it with you and red?" Gabriella's question was hushed, not wanting to disturb the atmosphere; her voice lingered in the low light of the lamp as though it were a shadow escaping her lips. As she encased Troy's member fully, she gave the base a deliberate squeeze, which Troy responded to by surging his hips forward, almost into her opening. That action was in complete contrast to the first time they had slept together, when Gabriella had been shy of merely looking at his encased length. All hesitation was gone now, however: it was merely her, Troy and the love they felt for one another.

"What can I say? It has...setimental value." His last word was over-shadowed by Gabriella's audible moan, as he pushed into her unexpectedly. They remained still, Troy buried inside of her, for a few moments, absorbisng the feel of their two bodies completely coalesced with each other's. For them, it was a moment of Zen, when nothing in the world existed; when they felt at their most peaceful, hopeful, indistrucable, all because they had the other's love.

Their recogniseable, gentle rhthym was soon built. Troy wasn't a guy who was overly-expressive when it came to his feelings; when it came to anyone other than Gabriella, he was a very regular teenage boy, who would sweep thing under the carpet and bottle them up inside. But whenever he was sharing himself with Gabriella, their was no filter between his brain and mouth, resulting in his every thought tumbling through his lips: expressions of love as well as coarse expletives.

()()()

The tip of Troy's middle finger gently traced lines over Gabriella's bare arm, hours later. His feather light touch would leave goosebumps across Gabriella's skin but whenever he felt her shiver, he would press a kiss against her forehead or into her matted hair; the warmth from his lips, combined with the love she would feel for him at that moment, chasing the shivers from her body.

"Gabi?" He whisperered lightly, his voice floating through the air. "Do you remember that night out (our) parents went out, and we stayed on our own and watched movies?" His voice sounded surprisingly young to Gabriella; so unlike the man who had ravished her only a few hours before.

She giggled lightly in response, "You have to be a little more specific, baby, if I had a dollar for all the times the two of us watched movies alone...we'd be filthy rich."

Troy hesitated and kissed her head once more, as it still rested on his chest, his and Gabriella's eyes yet to meet. "The night we kissed," he continued.

The finger Gabriella had been previously dancing over his chest froze, and her breath hitched. Although her breathing had not been audible before, he could no longer feel it brushing against his naked chest.

"Yeah?"

"I think..." he paused. Gabriella was so unused to this shy, hesitant Troy; she hadn't been able to attribute those characteristics to him for years. The last time he had been like this was during that awkward period the experienced before they had started dating.

"What is it?" Gabriella encouraged.

"I think that was when I first fell in love with you. Shit. Did that sound really lame? I did, didn't it?"

Gabriella giggled and brushed her lips across his chest, not quite a kiss but an action that was enough to make Troy smile. She finally rose her head, and met his curelean orbs, as they illuminated through the dim light of the early morning. "No, it didn't."

"I didn't mean it to, but...I guess I've been thinking about the day a lot since we moved out here." He tightened his arm around her waist, moving her body closer to his until her whole was practically laying on top of him.

"I remember, at first, I just couldn't stop thinking about it," Troy revealed. "Like, almost every second for weeks I was replaying it...wanting to do it again," he blushed at the revelation, his voice dipping a little as though the walla were listening in; waiting to hear his deepest secrets, only to come alive and taunt him with their knowledge.

"At first...I don't know, I thought it was just me being horny - I was basically getting boners every ten minutes back then, just horny as hell. I must've had at least six just watching that movie with you that night."

"Troy!" Gabriella admonished.

"What?"

"I thought we were keeping this romantic? I don't want to know what was happening in that reegion while we were kissing; we were only thirteen that night!"

"Hey, I want to share this with you, okay? Besides, I know you probably don't want to think about it but as you said, we were thirteen: things were changing with us; you started getting boobs and I learnt there was more than one use for my penis."

This wasn't the first time Troy had spoken with such candour shortly after being intimate; it was as though a deactivation of his metal filter occured when he made himself vulnerable in such a way. This, Gabriella was learning to accept, so she merely rolled her eyes and allowed him to continue.

"Like I was saying," he restartewith a pointed tone. "I thought it was just the hormones, but then...after like the first month, I was still thinking about it. And even though...uhh...a certain region would...you know...react when I did, I was also getting these crazy butterflies in my stomach and my heart would start beating so fast. Do you know what I did?" He looked down at Gabriella, fighting to restrain his laughter from his own memory. She looked up at him curiously, further enticed into his story.

"I went onto 'Ask Jeeves'," he laughed, the heaving of his chest causing Gabriella's head to rise and fall along with his motions. "I put in that I'd kissed by best friend and now I was starting to think about her differently. One person replied that I sould stop being stupid cuz it was obvious that I now liked you - but in my defence," he said, raising one palm as he began to clarify a possible misconception. "I was pretty certain that I liked you, I just wanted to be sure."

"Why did it take you so long to ask me out, then? I mean, it was almost three years before we got together." Gabriella sighed, remembering the angst she had suffered during that period; being unsure what she felt for Troy and later, once she had established and accepted her feelings for him, worrying about what he felt in return; then internalising the hurt those moments when she thought he would never feel for her what she did, him.

"Along with the guy who said I obviously liked you, there was someone who said that you should never date a friend - that it'd ruin everything. It kind of scared me off." He sounded embarrassed as he admitted this; especially considering that, years after entering the unfamiliar territory of a relationships, her body was curled upon his, their limbs entangled; and although the topsheet covered her body from the world, against him, Troy could feel her very naked, very arousing body pressing against his. "That, and I didn't know if you liked me back and I was afraid of making a fool of myself. Then, after that, Sharpay turned up, and everyone was getting at me to make a move on her - so I did."

Depsite the disaster of his and Sharpay's single date, Gabriella momentarrily morphed into the fifteen year old she had once been; her lips curled upwards and she repressed a snide comment, emerald now coursing through her veins in place of vibrant crimson.

"I'm glad though," Troy said, releasing a breath. "She made me realise she was everything I didn't want in a girl... everything you weren't." His lips puckered against her forehead. "It certified everything for me, and I knew that I had to go for it...I couldn't let you go."

Troy sighed, satisfaction ruling him after having poured his heart out. Then, suddenly, he felt a wet trickle glide down his right peck, folloowing the curve of the defined muscle, and over his nipple, which hardened at she sensation.

Confused, he lifted Gabriella's head gently. "Hey," he cooed upon seeing her glossy eyes. "You weren't meant to cry...God, no, you weren't meant to cry. I was...aww, Gabi, it was meant to make you happy," he said, cuddling her close.

"I am happy," she snivelled. "I'm happy because I have you. I love you, Troy Bolton."

Troy shook his head in confusion at the so-called "happy tears" as she nuzzled into his neck. He would never understand the complexities of the female mind - if he was being honest, the mere thought of attempting it made him shudder with unease - but it didn't matter to him that the working of the minds of millions. He could happily forsake that for what he had: true love.

The love he felt for Gabriella could not be replaced: she was his best friend, his lover.

His world.

* * *

**This chapter was a little short compared to the ones I have written recently, but hopefully another will be ready in a few weeks, along with a Power of Three update :)  
****Remember what I said: REVIEW!  
****Oh, and Caroline, thanks for those little tidbits ;)**

**xxx **


	18. Chapter 18: IMPPORTANT AUTHOR'S NOTE

**AN: I'm killing you guys with these author's notes, I know, but this one will be quick. **

** A lot of you guys have PM'd me asking whether or not I planned to continue with Just Friends, and rather than responding to each of you individually, I figured this was a simpler way to get an answer out there. In short, I do plan to continue with the story - one way or another. Basically, I've hit a bump in the road, and I have no idea how I want the fic to progress from there. You may remember - I know it's been a while - that the last chapter, Troy and Gabriella had moved to Cali to start college and are now living in their own flat. Now, initially, I had planned to continue up until the age of nineteen before starting a sequel, but I really haven't a clue what to write for those remaining chapters until that sequel starts. **

**That's where you guys come in. I have two solutions to this problem of mine. Firstly, you guys can suggest things/storylines that you would like to see for the last...6 chapters or so, and then if any of them spark my creative juices, I can run with those (and be eternally greatful) OR...you guys can tell me whether you want me to skip straight to the sequel where Troy and Gabriella would be about 24/25 and I could start working on that. **

**Whatever you suggest, I'd appreciate your input. I hope I get an influx of messages from you all :D**

**Thanks in advance,**

**Nikki xoxo**


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